Romeo and Juliet
by AnimeXisXmyXstyle
Summary: That's when I knew exactly how he felt, why he did what he did. In that moment I felt like everything I had once been fighting against was what I really believed in fighting for. NejiXOc
1. Romeo

**I do not own the Naruto characters. **

**I do own Tsukiko.**

**Enjoy.  
**

* * *

**Romeo and Juliet**

_**Chapter 1**_

I glided down the streets of the compound, whistling as I walked. I was heading to the academy to find my brother. He should be out soon. The streets were occupied by my relatives and I smiled at them as I passed by.

"Tsukiko!" I turned to see my friend Ryuu. He ran up to me and smiled showing me a strange object in his hand.

"What is that?" I asked curiously.

"It's called a shuriken!" he said happily. "It's what real ninja's use to fight bad guys."

"S...shuriken?" I questioned as he let me hold it and look at it. "It looks really sharp."

"Well yeah, that's how they kill the bad people."

"Kill?" I said putting my hands over my mouth. "Those are bad Ryuu!" I threw the thing as far as I could. It didn't get far, though.

"Tsukiko!" he said as it landed on a tree by the road. "That was hard to get. I had to wait till after the kids at the academy were done practicing and left it on accident."

"It's not good, Ryuu. We shouldn't hurt people," I said walking again with my head down.

"Look Tsukiko, I'm sorry," he said catching up with me. "Where are you headed?"

"To see my brother after the academy..." I said and looked over at my sad friend. "I'm sorry I threw it, you can ask for one from my brother."

"Thank you, Tsukiko."

"You're welcome," I said smiling at him before running with him to the academy.

"Brother?" I said standing in front of the building as kids rushed out. I watched them all come out smiling and talking with their friends. It hurt to just think about what they were learning to do. They were learning how to become violent criminals. How to kill people with just a move of their finger. "Oof!" Someone ran into me.

"I'm so sorry!" the boy said as he help me up.

"I'm okay, my name's Tsukiko," I said handing out my hand. What surprised me was his eyes. When he looked at me I saw his clear eyes and couldn't help but stare. What unique eyes, I thought to myself.

"I'm Neji," he said shaking it happily. Ryuu was still standing beside me and glaring at Neji for some reason.

"Oh, and this is my friend, Ryuu," I said pointing to Ryuu. The two just stared at each other.

"Why are you here?" Neji asked.

"I'm waiting for my brother," I said.

"What's his name?" Neji questioned.

"Sasuke," I replied still standing on my tippy toes to try to spot him.

"He's your brother?" he asked bitterly. I looked down at my newly found friend.

"Yes...why don't you like him?" I asked innocently.

"Is he your older brother?" Neji asked, his face going back to normal.

"No, we're twins. He always says he older but only by three minutes," I said giggling.

"How come you don't go to the academy?" Neji asked.

"Um, because girls aren't allowed to."

"Yes they are, look over there's my friend TenTen, she's a girl," Neji replied.

"Yeah, but in my clan we're not allowed to."

"Oh," he responded.

"Sasuke!" I said waving as he came out. He walked over to us and glared when he noticed Neji. Neji did the same.

"What do you want, Neji?" Sasuke said bitterly.

"None of your business, Uchiha." With that Neji left us there.

"What were you doing?" my brother practically yelled at me. I took a step back, afraid, for the first time, of my older brother, Sasuke.

"He ran into me and..." Sasuke cut me off.

"Did he hurt you?" he asked.

"No, and he said he was sorry," I said.

"I better go," Ryuu said and I waved to him as he left.

"Don't ever go near him again," Sasuke said as he started to walk back home.

"Why not?" I complained as I walked with him.

"Just don't," he replied.

"I hate it when you tell me to not do something and don't tell me why. You remind me of Daddy," I said and Sasuke shivered.

"I'm not like Daddy," he responded walking again.

"And I hate it when you act like I don't know anything. Dad does the same thing to you."

"Tsukiko!" Sasuke yelled. "Stop budding into my business!" I walked silently with my brother. If only he knew how much he really was like Daddy. Maybe he wouldn't get mad so easily.

"Night Mommy!" I said hugging her.

"Good night, dear, sleep well." She turned off the light and I pulled the blanket over my head. I forgot to ask Sasuke about the shuriken. I'll just ask him tomorrow when I wake up. I'm sure he'll let me borrow one. If he doesn't I'll ask Itachi...but Itachi probably won't give me one. He'd start asking questions or just say something not related to it and change the subject. Yeah, I'll ask Sasuke tomorrow....

I opened my eyes and looked over to the window. It's still dark out. I need to use the bathroom, I thought getting out of my bed and quietly heading to the bathroom. I didn't want to wake up anyone and have them be grumpy. They all need a long night of sleep with plenty of rest so they're read to work in the morning. I went to the bathroom and washed my hands.

"I love the smell of lilacs," I said putting my hands to my face. I loved the new hand soap my mom got. She got it just for me, I thought happily. I walked again tip toeing across the floor.

"She's completely and utterly useless!" my dad raised his voice.

"Fugaku..."

"All she's good for is making children!" I sniffled as I stood out side the door. He's talking with mom...and Itachi and Sasuke aren't shes...so he must be talking about me.

"Fugaku, she's a good kid. She's smart, pretty, and she's better at everything than what you give her credit for," my mom said.

"Mikoto, she doesn't even believe in the war! She thinks it's wrong! She's no daughter of mine!" I didn't even bother covering up my sniffles and cries. I cried quietly and tip toed quickly to my room. I shut the door quietly behind me and looked out the window. Why is Daddy so mean? I opened my door when I heard my dad stop yelling and walked over to my brother's room. I knocked and he opened it.

"Mommy and Daddy...and..." I cried as my older brother put his arms around me comfortingly. "Why does Daddy hate me?"

"Tsukiko, he doesn't hate you," Itachi replied as he stood to his normal height and shut the door behind me.

"He never wants me around and ignores me when I try to talk to him."

"He's just busy." I remained silent and looked around my brother's room. His bed was still made. Had he not been sleeping?

"Can I sleep in here tonight?" I asked him.

"The bed's yours," he replied. I got under the sheets and thanked him.

"Night Tsukiko," he said tucking me in. I closed my eyes but opened them again when Itachi lied down on the floor to sleep.

"I'm sorry I'm so annoying, Itachi," I said quietly.

"You're not annoying, Tsukiko. Get some rest."

"Night." I cuddled into the pillow and sighed at the smell of my brother's sheets. They always had a homey feeling to them. I felt more comfortable in his room than any where else in the world.

* * *


	2. Hate

**I will be making a time skip later on in this story. Just so you know.**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Naruto characters.

I own Tsukiko and some of the plot.

Enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter 2**

"Mommy?" I asked as I was washing the dishes with her after breakfast.

"What is it Tsukiko?" she asked.

"Does...um...Daddy hate me?" I questioned pausing. I looked over at my mom and she paused in what she was doing also.

"Of course he doesn't, Tsukiko!" she said hugging me.

"Oh, okay."

"What ever made you think such a horrible thing?"

"Well, he ignores me, and he always watches Itachi...and I know he secretly watches Sasuke," I replied.

"Honey, he loves you just as much as he loved them."

"Really?"

"Yes. Now why don't you go play?"

"Alright, I love you mom." I put down the towel and headed out of the house. Then I headed to Ryuu's house.

"Hi, is Ryuu there?"'

"One second," his mom said before slightly closing the door. "Ryuu! You're friend's here!" '

"Coming!" within seconds Ryuu was down and smiling. He said good bye to his mom and headed off with me.

"We can ask Itachi for one," I suggested.

"Do you think he'd give us some kunai too?" Ryuu said excited.

"Maybe."

"What do you mean maybe?"

"Well, I've never asked him for something like this."

"Oh," he responded simply. We arrived at the clan police tower and were greeted by a few of the guards.

"If it isn't Fugaku's little girl," one said patting me on the head. I didn't much like it, but everyone always did it so I put up with it, assuming it was some kind of greeting.

"Can I see Itachi?" I asked politely.

"You're older brother? He's not here right now. He went on a mission."

"A-a mission?" I questioned. The guards tensed and looked around them.

"Just to take care of some bad people, that's all. He'll be back safe and sound," the other said.

"Oh...okay...thank you," I replied before leaving with Ryuu.

"Brother is a killer?" I said to myself as we were walking.

"Killing bad people doesn't make you a criminal, it makes you a hero," Ryuu explained.

"It sounds like who ever made the dictionary had the wrong definition."

"What do you mean?" Ryuu asked.

"A hero is someone who saves people, someone who doesn't kill people...any people."

"So you're saying that people who kill are bad? So the Hokage's bad, all the ninja here are bad...pretty much our whole clan is bad?" Ryuu questioned confused.

"I think so, not all of us though. Mommy's not bad, she'd never hurt anyone."

"That's what you say. For all you know she could've been a ninja."

"She wouldn't," I replied confidently.

"He's late...again," I said sitting next to Ryuu. We were sitting on a bench outside of the academy.

"Maybe he's practicing late."

"Probably. Do you know where the training place is?" I asked my friend while jumping off the bench.

"Yeah, it's just the down the road to the left."

"Then let's go," I said heading that way. Ryuu looked at me a second before following me.

"Are you sure it's on this street?" I asked.

"I think so." Just then we heard a large clanking sound.

"I think that's him!" I said running to where I had heard the sound come from. When I got there I was out of breath...and the person there wasn't the person I was expecting. It was Neji.

"Hey Neji!" I said still out of breath. He turned around to look at me, a puzzled expression on his face. "Sorry, I thought you were Sasuke at first." I laughed at myself. Neji scoffed.

"You got me confused with that jerk?" he asked before going back to throwing shuriken at the targets. I just stared at him. Some people are just too confusing. I walked up closer to him and watched as he hit the target right in the middle.

"Wow," I said. I might hate fighting but that was cool.

"Tsukiko!" Ryuu said catching up. I turned and looked at my friend as I remembered leaving my friend and running.

"I'm so sorry!" I said. He just glared at Neji who I was still standing right next to.

"Oh. Hey Neji, can I...um...borrow some shuriken?" I asked and he looked over at me puzzled again.

"Sure," he said going over to the target and pulling two out. Then he handed the two to me.

"Thank you," I said.

"We should go," Ryuu said while glaring at Neji. "Sasuke's probably looking for you."

"Oh yeah," I said turning but pausing to look at Neji. "Bye Neji."

"Bye," he responded simply before going back to his practice. Ryuu and I ran to the academy.

"Where were you?" Sasuke asked as we got there out of breath.

"We....you...training...Neji," I said in between breaths.

"What with Neji?" he asked bitterly. I stood up straight and took a deep breath.

"We thought you might be at the training ground, but instead Neji was there."

"Let's go home," Sasuke said and I rolled my eyes before following. I'll never understand some people.

"Food's ready!" I said as my dad and brothers came into the house. They sat down at the table and I helped mom bring in the food. When the all the food was on the table we sat down and we all started to eat after the head of the home, my dad, ate his first bite.

"Tsukiko made the seafood sushi," my mom said happily bragging. I blushed and looked over at my dad. He looked down at the sushi he had put onto his plate and finished the food he had already put in his mouth.

"I'm not hungry. Today was a long day at work," he said getting up and exiting the room. I watched him sadly as he did. Itachi, Sasuke, and mom watched him too. No one moved until they heard me sniffle.

"The sushi is delicious," Itachi said taking a large bite followed by Sasuke.

"Yeah, it's really really good!" he said.

"Mommy, can I be excused?" I asked.

"Aren't you hungry?" she asked.

"No, I just want to go to bed. I don't feel well."

"Alright." With that I stood up and left the room. I walked down the long wooden hallway but stopped right in front of my door. I stared at it a minute before looking down the hall. I sighed and walked further down until I got to Itachi's room and went in there instead.

"Why does he hate me..?" I mumbled. I was lying under Itachi's bed poking the wooden boards. "Is it 'cause I'm not a boy...or because I'm not smart...because I can't go to the academy...or because..." I gasped. "I can't fight." I thought about it for a few seconds but moved so I could see the door when I heard it creek open. I recognized Itachi's footsteps and knew he would know I was under there. He always knew. He closed the door behind him and sat down at his desk and sighed.

Neither of us talked. That's what I liked about Itachi; he never said anything unless it needed to be said. He didn't ask stupid questions to fill in silence like most people did. So I stayed under his bed and he wrote on his scrolls or read them...or whatever he was doing.

"Mom's looking for you," he said after a while. I climbed out from under the bed and looked at what Itachi was doing. He was reading some kind of scroll...the word "Jutsu" was on the front.

"Night brother, thank you," I said before leaving the room.

"There you are!" my mom said coming up to me and hugging me. "I couldn't find you any where."

"Sorry Mommy," I said to her.

"Where were you?" I wasn't going to tell her I was in Itachi's room because that was my secret hiding place.

"I was in the garden," I replied.

"Don't you know not to go outside after dark? It's not safe," she said leading me to my room and I responded with a "yes" and a "I'm sorry".

* * *


	3. Curses

**Romeo and Juliet**

_**Chapter 2**_

That morning when I woke up I didn't get right out of bed and open the curtains. I sat up in my bed and stared down at my hands. Would being able to fight be okay? As long as I didn't fight? Would it make Daddy proud? With my new thoughts I jumped out of bed with a new purpose.

"Why are you in such a hurry, Tsukiko?" my mom asked as I finished my food in a matter of seconds.

"I have stuff I have to get done really quick. Love you Mommy!" with that I ran out of the house. I ran to Ryuu's house.

"Um...can I borrow those shurikens we got from Neji?" I asked him. His eye brows notted.

"What for?" he asked.

"Oh, um, I just wanted to see them...so I could...um...practice sketching them!" I said to him.

"Oh, okay, let me go get them." He went up stairs and brought back the four edged star looking things. I thanked him and left his house. I waited till after all the kids were done entering the academy. I think I saw Neji but I wasn't sure. Either way I didn't want anyone to notice I was there so I wouldn't have said hi even if I was positive it was him.

"Just throw like this," I said throwing it like I had the day before. It landed in the ground a couple inches infront of my feet and I squeeled. Phew, I almost hit myself. I thought as I regained my senses. I picked it up and threw the other one. It flew behind me and hit a tree...just not the one I was aiming for. I sighed going back and pulling it out of the tree. I stood back on the patch of dirt that probably once had grass. It was where Neji was standing the other day. I pulled my arm back and threw it as fast as I could. It hit the roots of the tree. I sighed before going to pick it up again.

"Ah, I hate you!" I yelled at the shurikens. In my anger I threw both of them at the same time and they landed somewhere in the woods. I went over to look for them but became still when I heard footsteps approaching. Then I sprinted home.

"I'm home!" I said when I got home. My family had already started to eat at the table. I took off my shoes and sat down at the table with my head down.

"Where were you all day?" my mom asked me.

"I was playing with some new friends."

"What are their names?" my dad interupted.

"Um, I don't know...we just played around the park." My father finished his food and left the table before the rest of us could even finish.

"I have to meet at the tower early tomorrow," Was all Itachi said before leaving the room.

"Sasuke, can you help us with the dishes?" my mom asked.

"Eew, that's for girls to do," he replied.

"Hey, you can do it too," I responded.

"I'm older than you," he said.

"Only by three minutes."

"I'm smarter than you."

"Says who?"

"Me."

"Then what does mean?" I asked and Sasuke remained silent. "See you're not smarter."

"I'm a boy," he said coming up with another excuse.

"That doesn't mean anything."

"I'm going to be an amazing fighter, maybe even hokage. I'm going to make Dad proud," he said leaving the room before I could respond. I just looked at the doorway he had gone through. Hokage...you mean you want to become a killer?

"Itachi?" I asked nocking on his door.

"Hnn," was his responce. I opened the door to see him sitting on his bed. It was still made up...did he ever sleep?

"Can I go to the tower with you tomorrow?" I asked shyly.

"If you'd like," he said before lying down on the bed. I shut the door but didn't go to my room. I knew Itachi wasn't going to go to sleep. So what was he going to do? I sighed before going back to my room.

* * *

"Bye Mommy, bye Daddy!" I said before bolting for the door.

"Tsukiko," my dad and I quickly turned toward him. "Don't get in Itachi's way."

"Yes father." Then we left. I walked in silence with Itachi trying to keep up with his long strides.

"Why do you have to be so tall?" I mumbled. Itachi chuckled and I smiled up at him. He almost never showed emotion. Never around mom and dad, and only once in a while around me.

"You'll be taller soon enough, Tsukiko."

"You think I'll be able to reach the top shelf in the pantry?"

"Positive."

"So Mommy won't be able to say no to me having cookies!" I said excited to be taller and older.

"Tsukiko." I looked over at Itachi. His voice got low and emotionless.

"Yeah?"

"I'm going to be going on a lot of missions now. I won't be able to hang out with you as much as I used to."

"Will you still visit me?"

"When I can."

"What if Mommy and Daddy start yelling?" He remained silent for a moment.

"You can go into my room anytime you want. When you feel lonely or afriad. Just remember I'll always be in there with you."

"Okay Itachi. Thank you!" I said happily and skipped as we went on our way.

"Bye Itachi! Good luck!" I waved to him as he entered the tower. He didn't wave back, but that was just because there was guards on the outside. He would've waved if they hadn't been there, I told myself. After that I skipped off to Ryuu's house.

"Hi Ryuu," I said as I saw him. He didn't look happy.

"W...what's wrong?" I asked him, my once bright mood fading with the company of my sad friend.

"My mom and dad decided to send me to the academy."

"So you mean I won't be able to play with you anymore?" I asked on the brim of tears. He nodded. I cried and hugged him.

"Don't let the boys pick on you, don't like any girls with blond hair, don't hate anyone you don't know, don't hurt any innocent animals, don't eat anything someone makes...besides me...because it will probably be poisoness." I kept going on about what he should do and what not to do. I kept crying there and tackling to him. The whole time he nodded and occasionally added a "yes" or a "I understand".

I walked to the training area after crying at Ryuu's house for hours and hours. I have no idea how long I cried there. When I got there I started looking around the shuriken that I had lost the previous day. I jumped and turned around when I heard someone behind me.

"Neji?" I said quickly.

"What're you doing here?" he asked.

"Um...I can't...find...the shuriken." He just stared at me.

"Were you...?"

"I was trying."

"I thought you were against the war and all that," he replied.

"Huh? How'd you know that?" I questioned. He broke eye contact for a second.

"Good guesser," he responded.

"Well...can you keep a promise?" I asked as he came over to me.

"Yes."

"I thought maybe if I could fight my dad wouldn't hate me."

"Your dad hates you?"

"Well he doesn't like me, that's for sure."

"I know how you feel," he responded quietly.

"Really? Is your dad like that too?" I asked. I regretted asking what I did when I saw pain flash through his eyes for a split second.

"My dad's dead."

"I'm so sorry."

"And my uncle...doesn't like me." I stayed quiet for a few moments.

"Well, maybe you just need to show him that you're strong. That you cand do amazing things. I'm sure you can." Neji stayed quiet for a while and I wasn't sure if I said the right thing.

"Here," he said handing me a shuriken. "want me to show you how to use it?"

"How did you..?"

"That's what you were looking for, was it not?" he asked me.

"Yeah," I said completely flabbergasted.

"Stand over here," he said pointing to the dirt patch. I did as I told and he put the shuriken in my right hand. "Now," he said putting his arms around mine and holding mine in the right possition. "Release it with your wrist. Don't move your arm an inch."

"Okay..." I said and tried as I was told. It didn't go very far, as expected.

"That was a good try."

"Really? Yours were so precise though, and you used your arms."

"You'll get better, and once you get the wrist flick down you'll be able to use your whole arm and it'll go further."

"Cool."

"Sorry I'm late," I said sitting down at the table quickly. I was once again late for dinner. Dad just stared at me as he ate his food. All of use ate in silence. I did notice though that Itachi wasn't here and that made me sad.

* * *

"Bye mom," I said right after breakfast. Then I ran to Ryuu's house. It was his first day at the academy. We walked there in silence getting ready to say good bye to eachothers long play visits and wandering around compound. I stopped just down the road from the academy.

"Ryuu?"

"What is it?" he asked noticing I had stopped.

"Promise me you won't turn into a ninja. Promise you won't kill people." My friend smiled at me and put his thumb up.

"You can count on me, Tsukiko!"

"And throw," I said before releasing. I watched annoyed as it didn't hit the target...it did hit the tree though, so it was an improvment.

"Maybe if..."

"You're holding it wrong." I twisted around to see Neji standing very close to my face. I blushed and turned back around. "Here..." he put his arms on mine and fixed them. "That'll be easier."

"Thank you."

* * *

"Love you mom, love you dad!" I ran out of the house with the excuse of seeing Sasuke when he got out of the academy.

* * *

"I'll be back later!" I said shutting the door before my parents could object.

* * *

"I don't want to be late," I quickly put the last dish away and leaving.

* * *

"To see Sasuke?" my mom said more like a statement than a question and I nodded.

* * *

"Tell Sasuke to pick up some rice at the market." I nodded before leaving.

* * *

"Bye," I said more to myself than anyone before exciting my home.

"Hey Neji," I said as I came into the training ground. We'd been doing this for months. We would meet after his academy and he'd train me. I met clear and blank eyes and smiled. He just stared at me before slightly bowing his head and I followed suit. Then he disappeared.

"Dodge," he whispered and I swung around to see his foot advancing toward my face. I dodged to the left, but just barely. He attacked again with a punch and I ducked. He brought his foot around to trip me and I jumped backward. "Dodge then attack quickly." I nodded. He disappeared again and kicked me in the back. I mumbled a few colorful words I had learned from Neji on accident...

_"Shit," he mumbled when I actually hit him with a kunai._

_"I'm sorry!" I squeaked before running over to help him. He held onto his arm carefully before pulling it out. My mouth dropped. "You're losing a lot of blood."_

_"Never break consentration!" he yelled appearing behind me and going to punch at me. I squealed again before my hand automaticly grabbed his hand, hit his blood vein on his wrist which caused him to drop the kunai, and grabbed it once again pushing it into his body. _

_"Damn it," he said and I brought my hands over my mouth as I gasped._

_"I'm so sorry!" I said quickly. He pulled the second kunai out and blood was now staining his whole shirt._

_"Dumb ass kunai," he said and I couldn't help but let out a giggle. He looked so funny, almost as if he was pouting while glaring at the kunai. As if the kunai had drove itself into him instead of me doing it. He looked up at me when I laughed and had the normal blank expression on his face. "You think it's so funny."_

_"No!" I said quickly but couldn't help but giggle again. He smirked before showing me his bloody hand. "Ew," I squealed as he chased after me with his hand nearly touching my back. "Yuck, yuck, yuck! Ew! Stop stop!"..._

"Ouch," I mumbled as he hit me again.

"Don't lose concentration," he mumbled rolling his eyes. I mumbled some more colorful words and blocked his next punch. Then I twisted to the side and pulled his arm to my right. Making him fall forward I grabbed his shoulder and pulled his arm behind his back.

"Good job," he said and I rose my eye brows.

"No, I give up?" I asked letting my grip release a small bit.

"Tsukiko, I have something to tell you." I lost hold on his arm.

"What about?" I questioned. Then he disappeared and did the same thing to me that I had just done to him.

"You lost concentration."

"Damn you," I said under my breath.

* * *

"Sorry I'm late," I said sitting down at the table. I looked over to Itachi's seat which was sadly empty. My family didn't speak until Sasuke spoke.

"Dad, I mastered the technique you showed me!" he said and I looked over between the two. Dad taught him a technique?

"Mastered?" my dad mumbled to himself. Sasuke grinned.

"You want me to show you? I can show you right now."

"No," my dad said pausing. "Show me tomorrow." Sasuke stuck his tongue out at me when mom and dad weren't looking as I just glared at him. I should have paid more attention to all the burn marks Sasuke had been getting the past week. So a fire technique then? I'd have to ask Neji about it tomorrow.

"Hey Sasuke," I said after dinner. He was in his bed as I was supposed to be.

"What is it Tsukiko?" he asked tiredly.

"Will you show me how to do the technique?" Sasuke sat up in his bed.

"It's really hard so you probably won't be able to, but sure. I'll show you first thing tomorrow morning, okay?"

"Thank you," I said before shutting his door and heading to my room. Yay! I bounced in my head.

He showed me the technique for a third time. Then he panted and sat down. I walked over to him and sat by his side, my shoes off and my feet hanging over the lake. My toes barely touched the tip of the lake.

"That was amazing," I said to my brother and he smiled victoriously. I guess my being worse than him always made him feel stronger. "What do you call it?"

"It's called a jutsu," he responded. A jutsu...like Itachi's book!

"Are there lots of jutsus?" I questioned.

"Oh yeah, and some day I'll know all of them." So the book Itachi was reading...was he trying to know all of them? So he'd be...I swallowed hard...stronger?

"Do you think Itachi knows all of them?" I asked and Sasuke grit his teeth. Sasuke was starting to be extremely jealous of Itachi. In more ways than one. Anytime Itachi came home for a short visit Sasuke would watch his every move and never leave him alone. But it wasn't a happy he's home, it was more like Sasuke wanted to be Itachi. That probably sounds weird...I'm probably just seeing things and jumping to conclusions.

"He doesn't even know half of them," he said and paused getting a distant look on his face. "I'm going to be stronger than him one day. I'm going to make dad love me more." I looked over at my brother noticing that he was clenching his hands into fists.

"Don't worry, Sasuke, you'll be so strong. You'll blow everyone out of the water," I said smiling to him. He looked over at me and smiled back. Then he rubbed the back of his head.

"Yeah, I don't need to worry about it so much. After all, I'm going to be hokage someday." I giggled before reaching my hands down into the water and splashing him. He just stared for a second before he blinked and did the same. I squeaked as the cold water hit my skin.

"You're not supposed to hit a girl!" I complained as he kept splashing me.

"This isn't hitting a girl, it's just splashing one," he laughed out. I cupped water into my hand and dropped it over his head.

"Oops, I think I ruined your hair," I said giggling. He cupped water in his hands and I ran for it...while screaming of course.

"I give up!" I said lifting my hands up. We were both soaked to the bone. Sasuke laughed and sat down beside me. We were sitting in the shallow part of the lake.

"It's not like you to give up something you set your mind to," Sasuke said peeking to look at me through the corner of his eye. I chuckled. Then splashed him again.

"Always keep your guard up!" I said continuing splashing him.

* * *

"Hi mom," we said in unison. She just stared at us flabbergasted. "We'll go wash up...I mean dry off for breakfast."

Easier said than done.

"Where were you earlier this morning?" Dad asked us in his normal almost dark voice.

"Training."

"Studying."

We looked at eachother.

"We were studying on how to train," I said and made a desperate smile. He looked at both of us before taking a bite of his food and we followed suit.

"Hey Neji," I said as I came into the training ground at the usual time. He was already practicing and turned in my direction. He turned back around after acknowledging me. "Can we um...practice something different today?"

"Like what?" he asked suddenly standing right beside me. I put an arm out and took a step back as protection. He smirked as saw me do this. "Always keep your guard up."

"I wanted to try jutsus," I said.

"Like what jutsu?" he questioned.

"Katon no jutsu," I replied.

"No," he said disappearing again.

"Why not?" I complained.

"Because I can't do that one." My eyes widened in shock. He couldn't do it but Sasuke could? Did that mean Sasuke was...way better than him?

"You can't be worse than Sasuke," I said to him and he chuckled but glared. Neji was so weird at times.

"I'm not," he said when his voice went dead serious. "But only Uchiha's can do that one. Hyuga's cannot."

"That's bull-"

"I'm not lying. Why would I waste my time?"

"So like your eyes and I can't possibly have them, you can't use Katon no jutsu?" I questioned.

"No..." I sighed annoyed. He had just said so! "Just like you can't use the gentle fist fighting style I can't use Katon no jutsu...and like my eyes I can't have yours."

"Huh?" I asked surprised. What was so special with my eyes? I couldn't whisper byakugan and see for miles. I couldn't read people chakra's and hit their chakra points.

"A Uchiha has special eyes too."

"What are they called?" I asked excited.

"I don't know," he shrugged and I sighed. Way to get my hopes up.

"Well, can you at least show me how to do another jutsu?" I asked.

"Sure," he said forming his hands in a weird possition.


	4. Clouds

Agck, I was going to make this chapter much longer for **Yuzuru Renge **

but it's almost three morning and I don't want to be found away when my parents awake to take my grandparents to the airport.

So I must crash and I thought you would appreciate this now rather than later.

So hopefully next chapter will be much, much longer. ^-^

Thank you everyone for the reviews!

* * *

**Romeo and Juliet**

_**Chapter 4**_

When I got back that night everything felt different. I knew my father would be disappointed that I'd been so late again. I knew mommy would be worried. I knew Itachi wouldn't be there. But what I didn't expect was that father would gleaming in pride for Sasuke.

I stumbled through the door, completely drained from practicing "jutsus" with Neji all afternoon. I dragged myself to the kitchen and pushed myself onto the chair, waiting for my father to tell me of his disappointment at me making this one mandatory thing. However, when I finally noticed my surroundings, I was surprised to only get a glare cast my way from my father.

What is going on?

I looked over to Sasuke who was beaming in pride. "I mastered katon! And showed father," he blurted out to me. I looked over to father and he was eating his dinner in silence. I felt an ache somewhere in my chest. I didn't notice at the time, but it was jealousy. Why can't daddy look at me like that?

I instintly lost my appetite, forgetting being completely drained and needing food to restore my chakra levels. "I'm going to bed," I said as I pushed my food away and lept down from the chair.

"Get back here right now, young lady," My father's booming voice commanded. I looked back to see him face...it was suddenly unfriendly. Lacking the emotion he had showed Sasuke just moments prior. "You have been irresponsible and unrespectful. You have been late to dinner and running off some place while you lie about seeing Sasuke."

I breathed in slowly as I felt tears threatening to fall. I looked over to my mother who sat there silently and reserved. I knew she was embarrased by my dad's methods. I looked over at Sasuke who was barely noticing anything around him. He was too happy.

That ache again.

"You will sit down and eat...and you will pick up your responsibilities. If you won't go to the ninja academy then I will send you to a different academy. One far away." It was a threat. I looked up to my daddy and felt hot tears streaming down my face. You would send me away? It was all too much for my seven-year-old self to handle. So I flipped.

"No," I said looking down at my hands. I had been working endless hours. All to please _him. _And what do I get? Nothing. More hatred. "No—I won't..." I looked around the room, feeling betrayed by my whole family—minus Itachi at first. "And you can't make me!" I spun around and sprinted down the hall. I turned left at the end. I stumbled into Itachi's room and shut the door quietly behind me.

I locked the door and crawled under the bed, pulling a blanket down with me. " 'Tachi..." I cried as I brought my hands to my face. "I need you, 'tachi...I need someone..." I hushed as I heard footsteps pass by the door. They stopped momentarily but continued on. No one ever went in Itachi's room when he was gone. It was like an unspoken rule.

Just another one I'm breaking, I thought as I pulled the blanket up over my head.

Sleep would have been a blessing at the time, but it wouldn't come. I finally left my shelter and walked around the room. My moods were shifting, switching from emotion to emotion in near moments. I looked around the room for something I could throw—covered in blind rage. I grabbed a book off the desk and went to throw it across the room. As I was about to throw it my eyes focused suddenly, priory blurred by tears.

"Jutsus," I read aloud. My mood became said and everything became clear...livid beyond imagine. I looked around the room and pulled the book onto Itachi's bed with me. I opened the first page. Katon no Jutsu. Famous in the Uchiha clan. My mood switched to anger.

Damn katon!

I read the instructions and flipped to the next, memorizing the details with one glance. Something was different, although I did not notice it at the time. If I had looked in a mirror I would have screamed because of the red orbs that stared back...but instead I focused on the book.

Page after page...hour after hour.

"Tsuki." I blinked my eyes and rubbed them with my fists. When had I fallen asleep? I looked up with blurry eyes at a tall dark form. My heart bolted when I recognized it as Itachi.

" 'Tachi!" I nearly yelled and jumped onto him, hugging him tightly. He let me hug him and bent down to hug me at my height.

"What's wrong, Tsuki?" He pulled away and looked me in my eyes. They became watery again and I felt the rush of emotions come back. The main one being sadness.

"Daddy...he got really mad at me..and I-I got...mad at him...and...and—" Itachi brought a finger to my lips.

"It's okay. You don't need to say it all at one time," Itachi said and stood up to his full height, easily towering over me. "Come 'on, let's lay down and talk...okay?" I nodded him and followed him to the bed. He dropped his anbu vest on the floor with his mask and shoes. Then he came up and tucked me under the blankets, laying on top of them himself.

"How was your mission?" I asked him. Itachi was never very open when it came to missions. He tried to shelter his younger siblings, unbenounced to them. But this was a special exception. Tsukiko needed _something_...anything.

"It was despressing," Itachi said and looked over at me. I nodded. "I had to kill someone, Tsuki."

"Kill someone?" I nearly screached.

"Yes."

"Why?" I barely breathed out.

"Because he was a bad person...he was hurting innocent people." My eye brows knotted.

"But did you need to kill him? Couldn't you just ask him to please stop?"

"Ah, we tried, Tsuki. We tried. But he wouldn't listen...and he started hurting loved ones."

"Loved ones?" I thought of my family who I was still upset at but deeply loved underneath my temporary jealousy. "Like mommy? And daddy? And Sasuke?"

"Hai, just like them."

"Okay," I said as I looked up to the ceiling. "I forgive you then, brother." Itachi chuckled and rolled over so he was on his side facing me.

"What has happened while I have been away?" he asked and I bit my lip, unaware of where to start. Well...the beginning? Where was that anyway?

"Well, i met this really nice boy—his name's Neji—and he's been showing me how to do ninja stuff because I want daddy to be proud of me. He's really nice but no body seems to like him for some reason. But no one will tell me why. Daddy got proud of Sasuke because he did this jutsu. Daddy threatened to send me to a far away place because I don't want to go to the ninja academy," I said it all in one breath only pausing to let out a sniffle. "And he got really mad at me...and I got really mad at him...and mommy...and Sasuke...and I almost threw the book you're always reading. But then I read it and memorized it." Anger flashed Itachi's eyes as I spoke of father.

"Did he hurt you?" he asked and I quickly shook my head.

"Daddy would never hurt me," I said but as I said it, it began to sound more like a question and less than a statement.

"You memorized all of it? In one read?"

"Hai," I said as a smile tugged at my lips.

"That's impressive, Tsuki. Can you tell me about what you read about?" So I began plunging into each jutsu, page by page, word for word. Pride and respect crossed Itachi's face as I told him about each one. When I finished much, much later, Itachi smiled a real smile at me and kissed my forehead.

"I'm proud of you, Tsuki," he said and pulled my covers up to my shoulders again. "Ignore father, he is blinded and cannot see how remarkable you are." I smiled up at Itachi and all the stress I had built up while he was gone vanished. I giggled conently and flung my arms around him again.

"I looooveee you, 'Tachi!" It was then that I noticed that I didn't want my fathers approval...because Itachi's was good enough for me. His was the one I wanted. Itachi was proud of me and couldn't be happier. It no longer mattered if father ever looked at me with gleaming eyes or if Sasuke looked at me with jealousy...or anyone else for that matter.

I only cared for Itachi.

"I love you too, Tsuki."

"Itachi?"

"Hnn?"

"You're the awesomest person in the whole fire country!"

"The whole fire country?"

"The whole world!"

He laughed and patted me on the head.

"Go to bed, Tsuki."

"But you just got back!"

"I'll be back soon."

"But I can't be here without you."

"You must."

"Can't you take me with you?"

"It's too dangerous..." Itachi paused and I silenced, noticing him calculate his next statement in his head. "Someday I'll have to leave you here alone, Tsuki. At the time you will be hurt and lonely, but in time you will understand. It...it will be hard to adjust at first. But in time if I can, I will return."

I looked up at Itachi as I became teary eyed.

"Promise?"

"I promise." Hearing that he would have to leave me for a long time hurt, but I forced myself not to be selfish. He would obviously not be leaving for himself. He would have a reason.

"Pinky promise?" I asked as I held out my pinky. Itachi chuckled and brought his bigger pinky down to hook it with mine.

"Pinky promise." I sighed happily and snuggled into the blanket, sleep finally closing in on me.

"Good night, big brother."

"Good night, little sister."

The next morning I woke up to the sun peaking through the window and sending blinding light into my eyes. Itachi was gone and I pulled myself out of his bed. He was gone, but now I had the courage to face my family.

After a quick bathroom detour, I thought frantically. Hey, I was seven!

...

I clothed myself for the day, forgetting dresses and going for casual. I wore a pair of navy shorts and a white shirt with the Uchiha symbol on the back. In many ways it was like that of Itachi or Sasuke, except that it had long sleeves that went past my hands. I pulled a pair of sandals on and left my room for the day.

I went to the table and was met with silence. The only sound heard from the four of us was that of chopsticks moving. A clink here. A clank there. Sasuke finished first and lept from the room for his room, to change his clothes for the academy. When I finished I excused myself silently and brought my dish to the sink and headed to thedoor. I opened it and was about to leave when my father's voice caught my attention.

"He's supporting her, Mikoto," his hushed voice said. "She's becoming much like him and she's far too fond of him. We must be careful."

"Oh Fugaku," my mommy said her voice purely showing she was rolling her eyes. "Stop imagining the children scheming against you. They're children—full of innocence. What you should really be worried about is the council meeting in an hour or the growing Hyuuga clan.

"Ah," my father said as he began eating in silence again.

I took that as my cue to leave.

I would have loved to meet Neji at the training grounds, but sadly he was in school until later in the day. So I went to the training grounds by myself. I began to throw the kunai and shuriken at the target, plunging deep into thought.

Father said ninja academy or far away academy. I threw a kunai. Which should I choose? Which would be better? I threw a shuriken, slipping it from my fingers and hitting the target right in the middle. If I go to the ninja acadmey then I will have to learn to fight...which I'm okay with...but then I'll have to _kill. _I can't do that.

I went over and pulled them from the targets. Okay, I thought. Time for some of those jutsus. I placed my hands the ways the first jutsu commanded. Then I brought them to my lips.

"Katon no jutsu!" I yelled. My etsteem plumeted when a tiny whisk of fire came out of my mouth. I sighed, dropping to the ground in a pout. Here I am, barely able to do it and Sasuke has it mastered!

I wasn't one to give up, but decided it would be better if I tried a new jutsu—one Sasuke hadn't learned. So I went about practicing the second. It was an earth technique and I found it much easier than the first. I did it over and over...and over...and over...and over...and—well, you get the point. I did it A LOT. Until I was forced to stop out of fatigue.I glanced around as I plopped down on my bottom, resting my sore muscles.

The achademy is out. Boys and girls my age and older were walking about. I instantly started looking for Neji. I hadn't seen him since the last evening and I missed him. Sure enough, he materialized from the croud and walked up to the training field. I grinned widely at him.

"I did a jutsu!" I yelled cheerfully. Neji roase an eye brow but smiled along, my smile being contageous.

"What kind of jutsu? Will you show me?" I nodded ferociously and tried to stand. Ow. I plopped backdown again and a low and hearty rumble came from my stomach. I blushed deep red and looked up at Neji.

"Mabye we should eat something first," Neji suggested as he tried to hide his amusement. I laughed and agreed with him. We walked past a dango shop and I begged Neji to go there but he shook his head.

"You need something big and hearty; full of protein." I sighed and continued on with him.

"Ah, here's perfect!" I looked up at the sign.

"All You Can Eat Noodle Buffet,"I said aloud. "Neji, I don't want noodles." Neji looked over at me.

"Do you want lots of chakra or not?"

"Fiiiinneeeee," I sighed. Neji offered to pay for both of us but I quickly refused. I knew he didn't have the money my family had because he was—what's that word again? Tree member?—not part of the main family of his clan. So I paid for it against Neji's protests.

That's when the fun began.

Imagine two really fat, fully grown adults stuffing their faces to no end. That was us! We ate and ate and Kami, I don't know how we didn't weigh three hundred pounds. Neji liked extremely spicey noodles. I leaned over and forked some of his up and tried them. I gasped for air afterwards. He sheepishly gave me a glass of water and apologized over and over again.

When we were finally done we left the shop and went back to the training ground, with full stomachs. We tried to spar but immediately ended up on the ground, groaning in pain. "Maybe that wasn't such a good idea," Neji said and we both laughed.

"But it was fun and I feel a lot better," I said and put a hand to my aching stomach. "Well all but my stomach." Neji laughed.

"Maybe we should wait till tomorrow to train." I looked up to the sky.

"You want to stay anyways?" I said looking back over at him. "We can look at clouds and point out what they remind us of!" Neji grinned back at me and nodded.

"Sounds good." We both looked up at the sky and watched different clouds fly by.

"What do you see?" I asked. Neji paused for a moment.

"A...a kunai." I looked up at where he was pointing.

"It looks like a duck."

"A duck, really?" he laughed.

"Yes! It has the wings and tail and everything!" he laughed harder and I pouted looking back up.

"And that one looks like a teddy bear." Neji looked up.

"An old man's face." I huffed.

"Dango."

"Shuriken."

"Noodles."

"Snakes."

We glared at eachother, both stubborn and wanting to be right. We glared daggers for a good two minutes before bursting out laughing. When we finally calmed our laughteR I looked layed back down and sighed contently.

"I don't want to go back home," I told Neji honestly, not wanting to face my father.

"Me neither," agreed Neji.

"I don't want to talk to my father because he's mad at me for defying him." Neji looked over at me and rolled over onto his side so he was facing me.

"Can you keep a secret?" My face lit up and I rolled over too.

"Yes!"

"Cross your heart hope to die?"

"Cross my heart hope to die a million, billion, zillion times!" I said enthusiastically.

"I don't want to go home because my parents are dead."

Aw, Neji!

"I...I'm so sorry, Neji."

"It's okay," he said and broke eye contact. "I just don't like feeling like I have no choice..you know? Like I'm given a choice but in the end I really don't have one." Oh, I know. I thought thinking about the choice my father gave me. Like what choice is that?

"There's always a choice, Neji," I told him. "Like my father said I could either go to the ninja academy or go to some academy far away." His face became solemn.

"Which one are you going to choose?" I looked up to his eyes. They were clear and full of emotion he usually tried to hide. It was nice to know that he would open up with me so much. His eyes were locked with mine. I broke contact and looked away, ashamed.

"Well which can I pick?"

"You can pick to stay here."

"But you know how I feel about fighting."

"You train with me, though," he said and my mood dropped. I felt really sad again and ached to see Itachi again.

"That's different...I don't want to hurt people."

"But...but you have to stay...you can't leave me here." I looked up to Neji's sad face.

"It won't be for too long. I'll be back and I won't forget about you," I said and Neji looked away. "I'll write to you every single day. Twice a day!"

"I'll miss you," he said sadly.

"I'll miss you, too," I looked down at my feet as a faint pink blush spread across my cheaks. "Can I hug you?" Neji's face darted to mine and he smiled a faint smile.

"Sure," he said and I stood up, him following me. I wrapped my arms around him and squeezed him tightly.

"I love you, Neji."

"You love me?" His voice portrayed shock.

"Uh-huh, you're way up at the top with Itachi. You're one of my favorite two people in the whole wide world!" He laughed and I joined him.

"I love you too."

"Good," I said and giggled. "For a second I thought you weren't going to respond." We both laughed and pulled apart.

"Promise me, Tsukiko...promise me you'll come back."

"I promise, Neji. Cross my heart and pink promise a zadrillion times!" We pinky promised.

"Is zadrillion a number?" Neji asked.

"The biggest!"

* * *

A/N: Hope you liked it!

Review below! (:


	5. Snakes

**Many thanks to everyone who reviewed.**

**And those who didn't but continue reading.**

**I love you all! haha**

_I do not own Naruto_, in case you were wondering.

**

* * *

Romeo and Juliet**

_**Chapter 5**_

I trudged home slowly. I now dreaded anything to do with home. Maybe it was a good thing that I would be going to the academy far away? I opened the door and immediately felt a pair of cold eyes land on me. I sniffed and stuck my chin up, not meeting the pair of eyes. I already knew whose they were. My father's. _Daddy's, _I thought sourly. I knew I was late to dinner again but I didn't care at the moment. It was my only time to spend with Neji—and I'd much rather be with him than here.

Here where home isn't home. What's that saying? Home is where the heart is? Well, my heart is in my chest. So my body is my home? It makes sense, I guess. I pushed myself up into the seat and ate silently. Sasuke rambled on about something he learned at the academy. Something called chakra? I couldn't focus on listening to him, though, as the pair of eyes didn't stop from staring at me.

When I finished I pushed out of my chair and hopped down. I put my dish in the sink and quickly washed it, and then made my way to Itachi's room. I looked back at my mommy who sat at the table silently. Her eyes flicked to mine. I need you, mommy. I need you. My eyes were pleading desperately. Every little girl needs her mommy. Someone to tuck her in and kiss her cheek. Someone to cry to and tell her problems to. But then again, every little girl needs her daddy. Someone to rock her to sleep and encourage her as she shoots for the stars. Someone to defend her and protect her from any harm.

Why is it that I don't feel safe? Why is it that I feel this ache in my chest where I'm told my heart is? Why is it that I feel alone even when I'm with my family in the dining room? Mommy broke eye contact and looked over to my father. An aching pain formed in my chest when I realized I was rejected. I was rejected by my own mother. I cried and slammed Itachi's door closed. I screamed.

I didn't know what made a father a father or a mother a mother, but I knew they definitely weren't mine. "They can't be!" I cried. I ran to my room and grabbed my favorite stuffed animal. It was a huge and fuzzy brown bear. It was almost as big as me and I dragged into Itachi's room. I put it under the bed. Good thing for me at the time that I fit and that Itachi's bed was abnormally high off of the ground. I then proceeded to drag my favorite things from my room. I pulled my "super duper secret box" from under my bed and my favorite blankey from my bed.

When I finished I lay under his bed and placed all of my things there. I looked through a stack of photographs that I kept in my secret box. Itachi! It was a picture of me in his arms as a baby. I looked through them all and noticed I had hardly any pictures with anyone else. I had a few with Sasuke and a couple with my parents. I threw away the ones that had my parents in them. I kept one of Sasuke and me. We had just gotten into a snowball fight and were soaking wet. I was missing my two front teeth and Sasuke mimicked my toothless smile.

After I looked through the photographs I taped the ones I liked to the underneath part of the bed. I cuddled under the blanket and hugged Mr. Fluff 'n' Stuff—my favorite teddy bear. I was tired of being the one left out, the one people forgot about. I bet if something big and bad happened to the family then no one would even know about me. Ironic—especially if I knew what was going to happen in my future. Back on the current subject, I felt horrible. My father was going to notice me one way or the other. Even if I had to…had to hurt people for it. I promise you, Itachi. I will make him proud of me even if it's the very last thing I ever do! I fell asleep that night with new determination in my eyes and a flake of ice on my heart.

The next morning I left the house before breakfast, snitching a stick of unsweetened dango from the fridge. I clenched my two kunai in my hands as I ran to the academy. I pushed through the large double doors and made my way down the empty hall. My footsteps echoed and it made a shiver run up my back. I went all the way to the end of the hall where the name Tojiro was inscribed on a silver plaque on the front of a door. I paused only for a moment before pushing the door open.

"…I refusssse. I will not take on any students," A dark and creepy voice said. Two figures were standing with nothing but a desk between them. Both looked ready to attack the other. I could feel tension in the air and wondered if tension was a thing like air—that you couldn't see but was definitely there. Two pairs of eyes landed on me and I took a sharp intake of air.

"Hello, little one. What brings you here? And this early in the morning?" It was a different voice from the first one. It was an older man with leathery looking skin. He was much shorter than the man behind the desk. The man behind the desk had long black colored hair.

"I-I-" I will never know what I would have said because the black haired man interrupted me.

"I'll take her." Take me? Ah! Creepy! Would this nice looking old man really let him kidnap me? I was ready to bolt out the door, pulling the door open once again.

"What?" My point exactly!

"I will take on one student—and it will be her." Student? I studied the man. Yes, he was incredibly creepy. He had oddly yellow colored eyes with slits as pupils. He had purplish slashes around his eyes—maybe birthmarks? Or makeup, I guessed.

"I-" The older man looked at me, calculating the best route to take. "If she is okay with it, I will permit it."

"Are you agreeable to receiving the honor of being my one and only sssstudent, little Uchiha?" The black haired man asked me. Another shiver went up my spine.

"A student…as in teaching me to fight?" The dark man chuckled.

"Yess, little one. To be a ninja." I looked at both men. He was indeed very creepy and reminded me of snakes. I hated snakes. There was absolutely nothing scarier than snakes. No. I can't do this. I need…I need…Itachi. I made a promise to him. A promise. I'm not going to bring dishonor to myself by breaking it. And, I thought sadly, he won't always be here. He said he's going to have to leave me alone for a while. So I'll need to be able to fight.

"I…I want to learn to fight!" I told them and the man chuckled creepily again. The older man nodded in approval.

"So be it. Orochimaru, if I hear even a whisper of you doddeling in your duties as a sensei, I will remove you of your rank."

"I will not disappoint, Sarutobi-sensei. She will go down in history," he said with a laugh. The Sarutobi man gave him a look I didn't recognize.

"That's what I'm afraid of," he said then looked down at me. "Well, young one, what is your name?"

"I'm not young! Stop calling me that!" I proteseted. "I'm almost eight! I'm a big girl!" Both men chuckled.

"Ah, of course. What is your name, big girl? Or would you prefer if we called you that?" I blushed at my outburst, and rubbed the back of my left leg with my right.

"Tsukiko…Tsukiko Uchiha."

"Tsukiko? Fugaku's little girl?" I bit my lip. I didn't want my name to be related to his.

"No," I nearly yelled out. "I'm Itachi's sister."

"Well then, Kiko…are you ready to start your first day of training as my student?"

* * *

So besides the whole getting a sensei to teach me and everything, my day had been boring. He took me to some training place and gave me a pouch to carry weapons in. But then he made me pull out a kunai, aim it, and then put it back in. Over and over again. I dragged my feet the whole way home. I was actually on time that day and arrived at the table with Sasuke and father.

Sasuke was sporting a black eye and I couldn't help but stare at it. Even with all the drama and tension around us, I still cared for Sasuke. It's not like we were best friends or anything, but he was my brother. "Sasuke, what happened to your eye?"

"I got into a fight," he said and refused to tell me anymore. I huffed and finished my food quickly. Then I left to Itachi's room, surprised to find him there for once.

" 'Tachi!" I screamed and hugged him.

"I see you moved in under my bed," he said with a laugh in his voice. I giggled in response.

"I hope you don't mind. I just didn't want to stay in my room. It's lonely in there," I told him and frowned at it. It was lonely in his room too, but not _as _lonely. At least his room had signs of him.

"It's fine," he said and we let go. "Has father been giving you any troubles?"

"Um, no," I said thinking. "But Itachi, what makes someone a mommy or a daddy?" Itachi sat down on the bed and patted on the place beside him. I quickly joined him and looked up to him, waiting for his response.

"Parents are people that love you more than anything and will lay down their life for you. They protect you, care for you, and love you. Mothers and fathers aren't made; they're naturally born that way—with that instinct." I looked up at him and blinked several times. I would ask him where children came from later on.

"Then you're my mommy and daddy," I told him and he rose an eye brow at me, but laughed anyways.

"Not quite, Tsuki."

"No," I protested. "You love me, right? And you would die for me. You protect me from mother and father; you care for me and love me. You've always been this way and never stopped being this way. You're my mommy and daddy!" I was so happy my heart could have stopped from it beating so quickly.

"I…supposed," he responded. I smiled broadly and hugged him sideways.

"I love you, Modaddy!"

"Modaddy?"

"Yeah, mommy and daddy put together." He laughed harder this time and I smiled, happy to have made him laugh. He didn't laugh often and here I made him laugh more than once!

"What will you call mom and dad then?" he asked, suddenly somber.

"Fugaku and Mikoto," I said without hesitation.

"Tsuki, you can't—"

"They don't love me, Itachi. They make me hurt inside. I don't want them to be my parents, I want you to be." Itachi sighed and nodded.

"Alright, Tsuki. If that's what you want."

"Hai!" I said and looked down at the bed. "Will you tuck me in and kiss my cheak goodnight? Please?" Itachi looked down at me and a small smile landed on his face again. I slipped under the blankets, making sure to leave lots of room for Itachi. He pulled the blankets up to my chin and I giggled. Then he kissed me on the cheak and whispered in my ear.

"If you tell anyone about this Tsuki…I swear…" he said and I giggled again.

"Cross my heart!" Then he sat on the side of the bed and took of his shoes. He lay beside me on the bed, but not under the covers. "Goodnight, Modaddy." Another chuckle.

"Good night, Tsuki. Sleep tight…"

"Don't let the snakes bite," I finished. We never said bugs because I wasn't afraid of bugs. I was afraid of snakes. I faded off into sleep as happy as could be. I had Itachi. I had Neji. I had my creepy sensei. Everything would turn out alright. Nothing and no one could take those three things away from me…right?

* * *

Three months. It had been three months since I had started training with Orochimaru-sensei. Since his name was so incredibly long, and then adding sensei to even make it longer, I just called him Hebi-sensei. He reminded me of snakes. I feared snakes, I feared him. His eyes also did it, too.

After three months and eighteen days—yes, I'd been counting—Fugaku and Mikoto introducd me to a family. They were Uchiha, so we were somehow related. The parents were boring and talked about money and the clan stuff. Fugaku, Mikoto, and them went to go talk in the dining room over tea. I turned and looked at the girl beside me. She was two years older than me and was taller than me.

"They're boring," I sighed and she scrunched up her nose.

"I know. I don't understand how they find that stuff interesting." I smiled, happy to have found someone who found them just as dreadfully boring as I did.

"My name's Tsukiko," I said putting my hand out to shake. She glanced at it oddly.

"My name is Akako," she replied but still stared at my hand. Was it weird to shake hands? Everyone I know does it.

"Usually people shake hands that are put out to be shaken," I said and she blinked and then shook it with a smile.

"You're an odd one," she told me with an eye squinting smile. I shrugged.

"Yeah, I know. Want to see something cool?" I yelled in excitement.

"Yes!" she yelled back and we sprinted off to the backyard. I showed her my collection of snail shells and bird feathers, among many other odd things I found. Then we sat and talked on the bridge. I told her about my odd sensei under pinky promise of not telling. We knew each other for mere hours but felt like we knew each other for our entire lives. Its a little kid thing. She told me about going to the academy and of a new move they were learning. Something about making a copy of yourself. So. Totally. Awesome!

"Want to train a little bit?" She suddenly asked.

"What?" I screamed in surprise.

"You know, fight a little bit, just for fun. I promise to take it easy on you," she said and I bit my lip. We wouldn't really hurt each other—not badly—and I wanted to know what it was like training with someone other than sensei.

"Okay," I said and stood up. We walked to the grass and made up rules.

"Okay, so past this tree, that tree, and that tree, is out of bounds. The goal is to get the other person out of bounds or to give up." I nodded. "And…start!" I stood still, waiting for her to make the first move. Lessons from Hebi-sensei floating into my mind.

_Always let them make the first move unless you know you have the advantage. First you have to sum up your opponents abilities and disabilities. _

Thus meaning I needed to know if she had the sharingan. Sharingan, though known by many as belonging to the Uchiha clan, was not as common as it seemed. Both of your parents had to be of the Uchiha clan and you had to go through a very emotional or traumatizing situation. Well, that's what sensei had said but he didn't have it so I didn't know how much he really knew.

Akako, noticing I wasn't going to move, took the first move. She ran toward me and aimed a punch for my face. I slid to the side.

_The best way to block an attack is to not be there. There's no way to completely block an attack without any side-effects._

She stumbled forward on not hitting something and I took a few steps back, this time standing in position. I had my left hand out in front of me open, ready to block and swipe away a punch. My right hand was near my shoulder in a fist, ready to punch at any moment.

_Your stance should be unique to your skills and body structure, but also to your opponent. Say your opponent is tall, you must make your stances higher. If they're short, your stances lower. Use their skills against them. You're short, so you won't hit the ground as hard. Use that. Harness it._

Akako turned around and again tried to attack me, this time with a kick aimed to my middle. To my chakra core.

_Your chakra core is the most important part of your body. Most would think the heart, but your heart has your ribs for protection. Your chakra core is right in the bottom center of your ribs. Do you feel it? That soft spot? Getting a kick there will hurt twice as much as one anywhere else._

She kicked with her left leg, just as she had punched with her right arm. She was a righty. I swept her foot to the side with my left hand and punched her core with my right hand. It happened quickly and she gasped. I had pulled my punch, though, barely hurting her.

"Akako! Tsukiko!" We both stopped at the call of our names.

"Till next time," I said holding out my hand. She shook it.

"Till next time," she repeated. And that was the start of our friendship.

I rate late to practice. Late. At least five minutes kind of late. Hebi-sensei is going to kill me! I ran to the training ground and skidded to a stop a few feet in front of him. He had a very stern and angry face. I bit my lip and stepped back.

"Eight minutes, Kiko. You made me wait eight minutes." His voice was dark and dangerous and I knew what that meant. Harsher than normal training session. "We'll be sparing today."

"But sensei-!"

"No buts—begin!" I stepped back more and pulled into my stance. This time I was higher of the ground to counter the huge height different. With the huge height difference I would need to attack at the knees and stomach rather than stomach and face. Not that I would get the chance. He was way too good. He disappeared in front of me and I held in the urge to sigh.

"One!" he called and I turned to the side to just barely duck under a punch. I didn't have time to counter as he disappeared again. He appeared behind me.

"Two!" he yelled and I dropped to the ground in a crouch and swept my leg, knocking him off his feet. But he did a back-hand-spring and came to attack again.

"Three!" A punch landed on my face and I winced at the pain. "Only two blocks, Kiko. You have to work harder than that."

"I'm trying!" I yelled and backed up, putting distance between us. Kunai came racing at me and I dropped to the ground in a down-push up position. I made a grunt as my chest hit. And like that, I was pinned. Sensei was above me and put his foot down on my back. I grunted again.

"We're not going to get anywhere if we just keep doing this over and over again," he sighed.

"Yeah, you beating me up all the time is definitely not helping."

"Its building character," he countered, but then lifted his foot. I pushed myself off of the ground but stayed in a sitting position. Hebi-sensei sat down in front of me and took a deep breath in, probably to keep down his anger. He did have quite a bad temper. Quite, quite, quite bad. "Have you had any traumatic or painful experiences, little one?" I bit my lip at the nickname. Ignore it, ignore it.

"No…why do you ask?"

"Because you're a pure blood Uchiha, meaning you have the opportunity to awaken the sharingan."

"Ah, you've told me about this before. But you never tell me what the sharingan does," I complained.

"The first stage is being able to see people's chakra network and being able to easily pick up on jutsus and moves. Easily memorizing things that would take other ninja months or years to do."

"Memorizing?" I murmured thinking of the day in Itachi's room that I memorized his book. But Itachi had the sharingan and he was always reading the thing. If what Hebi-sensei was saying were true, then he would only need to look at it once. Once. Like I did.

"Yes, it can be anything from a way to kick to an entire row of hand seals," he said and paused, then continued. "The second is being able to predict movements before they happen."

"Predict?" I gasped. "Like tell the future?"

"Stop interrupting me," he said darkly and I shut up.

"Yes, like telling the future, but not that far into the future. Only seconds. The third is the ability to see through genjutsu and putting people into a form of hypnosis. After the three of these, there is one that is more forbidden."

"Forbidden?" He gave me a look and I hushed up again.

"The fourth stage is unknown to almost everyone, even most of the Uchiha family. To awaken it—"

"Then how do you—" He gave me another look. "Yeah, yeah. I'm hushing up."

"To awaken it, the sharingan user must kill his best friend." I was about to interrupt him when he gave me _"the look" _again. I shut my mouth automatically. "The outcome, though, is different. Some are able to torture their opponent for 72 hours, like your brother."

"My brother?" I gasped. No amount of the stink eye could keep me quiet then.

"Yes, your brother has awakened his mangekyo sharingan."

"H-he killed his best friend!" No, not Itachi. Itachi would never, ever do something like that. He was too kind. He cared too much. He only hurt bad guys!

"Oh yes. He killed him and…" the details became unclear and all I could see was Itachi killing a random Uchiha member. Bright crimson eyes burning into deep grey. Screaming and yelling, neither male nor female. More screams erupted and I closed my eyes, pulling my hands over my ears.

"You're lying!" I yelled. "Itachi would never do that!" Unknown to me at the time, Orochimaru saw this as an opportunity to put me under traumatic stress, hoping to awaken my sharingan. He did not, however, know that I had already awakened it. And although it was true that Itachi had obtained his mangekyo sharingan, the details he told were very untrue. Even he did not know the way in which he obtained it.

"Ah, but I'm not. Ask him yourself," he said nonchalant.

"No, he would think that I did not trust him. It doesn't matter, you're lying." My eyes were still scrunched shut and I pulled my hands from my ears and crossed my arms in front of my eyes. "He…he's different than everyone else. He's my mommy and daddy." I looked up at him, my vision become odd. Orochimaru was probably a little freaked out that I had called Itachi my mommy and daddy, seeing as it is physically impossible for a human to be a-sexual, but he didn't say anything as he saw the sharingan blazing in my eyes.

"You've awakened it…" he mumbled with a dark smirk forming on his face. I could so clearly now, but so weirdly. I stood up and almost fell back over. My vision was better, making me clumsy, as I was unused to it. It was like walking with binoculars. I could see faint blue lines branching out from Hebi-sensei's chakra center and saw little blue dots along the stems. Tears sprung up at my eyes.

"Does this mean I will become a murderer?" And for the first time ever, Orochimaru-sensei showed me compassion.

"No, Kiko. What you do with your powers is up to you. You can choose to be good or evil, to save or kill…to seek power or reject it. It is your battle and no one else's."

"Then teach me how to awaken the second stage. I want to use this power for good. If I can tell the future then I'll be able to protect people. I choose good." I didn't know at the time that Orochimaru was planning on using me as a pawn and that his plan would come crumbling down when I was sent away to the academy far away in the water country.

"It will be only a few seconds," he said, readying himself to fight. "But I will teach you. After all, I can't slack in my duties as your sensei."

"A few seconds could be the difference between life and death." Oh, how right I was—even at the age of seven.

* * *

**A/N: A bit longer...**

**Review button! ;)**


	6. Bruises

Wooh, stayed up late again working on this! Only got 4 hours of sleep because I had to work at 8am.

Haha I seem to write better at night.

Enjoy! thank for the reviews!

* * *

**Romeo and Juliet**

_**Chapter 6**_

"You're late." Just two words—well two and a half if you count a conjunction as one and a half—could pierce so deep. Sure, he was just Fugaku to me now. But deep down inside I knew I had a connection and my seven year-old self just couldn't be emotionless. Emotions ruled everything I did.

"I'm sorry," I said as I worked harder than usual to push myself up onto the chair. Training with Hebi-sensei was pushing my body to the extremes every day. It was the way he taught. _If someone tells you you're doing something wrong, you'll forget. But if someone shows you you're doing something wrong, you're body will remember. _Oh, it remembered alright. I have bruises to prove it. Granted, he was careful to not hit me in the face. Bruises on my body I could easily hide, but face bruises I could not.

"If you were sorry you would not continue to do it," Fugaku said and I looked up to meet his gaze. His eyes were sharp as daggers and as hard as ice, but they were nothing to Hebi-sensei's dark and almost evil eyes. I held his gaze, surprising the both of us. He didn't break away but even as a child I could tell it through him for a bit of a loop.

"I am sorry for inconveniencing you but I am not sorry for my actions," I said, breaking from his glare and focusing on my dinner. I did not like to eat. I didn't enjoy it anymore, but I did it because I needed to. I would feint if I didn't. So I forced the food down my throat, hardly tasting it and washing it down with water. I finished quickly and placed my dish in the sink. When I was walking back to Itachi's room I was stopped by Sasuke.

"Look, Tsukiko. I'm sorry." I turned to him and scrunched up my face.

"What for?"

"I haven't been being mean to you, necessarily. But I haven't been nice to you either. I just want to say that if you need me, I'm still your older brother." I smiled a goofy grin.

"Thanks Sasuke," I said and then added, "Only three minutes, remember?" We laughed and separated. It was no longer awkward around him. That was good. Itachi, Neji, Hebi-sensei, Akako, and Sasuke. Five people I would trust my life with. Five people that meant the world to me. I fell asleep with a smile on my face even as my body ached. It was a good kind of ache, though. Not the ache of loneliness but an ache of achievement. I was going out there and training all day, everyday—and I was working for something. I was working for Fugaku's respect.

* * *

I snuck out of the house at dawn, grabbing something from the fridge and running to the training grounds. I stopped in my tracks when I saw that old man again. Why was he here? I raced forward to them and stopped in front of Hebi-sensei and…Sarutobi.

"Ah, Tsukiko," Sarutobi greeted.

"Mister Sarutobi," I said and bowed in greeting.

"Ah, just Sarutobi. Nothing formal." I smiled. Good, I hate formalities.

"We are going on a mission, Kiko," Hebi-sensei informed me.

"Mission?" I inquired.

"You will be delivering an important package for me," Sarutobi answered. My eye brows knotted. How was I supposed to just disappear for a few days without Fugaku and Mikoto questioning?

"I can't…" I said hesitantly. "My guardians don't know I'm doing this." Sarutobi's eye brow raised. Hebi-sensei didn't seem affected. He probably already figured it out.

"Your parents don't know of your training with Orochimaru?"

"No…they don't know where I run off to all day."

"They don't ask?"

"They don't care," I responded coldly. It was true. I could be anywhere and they wouldn't care. Well, except with Neji. They hated Hyuuga's for some reason. Hmm.

"Well, Tsukiko. It seems you haven't even become a ninja have you?"

"Um, no. I haven't." Sarutobi looked over at Hebi-sensei with an accusing face. It was saying _You knew this the whole time? What would people think?_

"I take full responsibility for my pupil," Hebi-sensei spoke. "But before jumping to conclusions like you so like to do, I suggest you have her tested. She's genin level, at least."

"What's a genin?" I asked, completely and utterly lost.

"You've really done it this time, Orochimaru," Sarutobi sighed.

"Just try. It won't…" He was going to say hurt but then thought better of it. "…kill anyone. And it's not like there's a surplus of able ninja waiting in line." What's a surplus? Agh!

"Speak Japanese," I complained. "I can't understand a word you're saying." Orochimaru looked down at me as if he forgot I was seven sometimes. Hello, not hard to tell!

"Fine," he sighed and then thought of something, "does she even know how to make a shadow clone?" A shadow clone? Like a clone of yourself? I thought as I remembered Akako talking about learning how to make them.

"No," Hebi-sensei said but smirked, "but she has awakened her sharingan." Sarutobi's eyes fell on me and I bit my lip. Don't squirm under his glance. It's nothing. Don't move. Don't move.

"Then she will fight a genin," Sarutobi concluded. Fight!

"Challenge accepted. They will fight here tomorrow at ten."

"Yes. I will pick a genin and bring him or her to fight. I suggest you start practicing, Orochimaru. If she doesn't pass—"

"Oh, she'll pass," Hebi-sensei said giving me _the look. _I shivered. And like that, Sarutobi disappeared into thin air. So. Awesome! But what a weird old man. Sensei turned to me, an evil grin on his face. "It seems it is time to start training, hmm?"

"Shouldn't I like, rest before having a test?"

"No."

"But—"

"Keep talking and I'll cut off your tongue."

"B…" I bit my lip and sighed. I didn't doubt he would cut of my tongue. Ah! Scary sensei look!

"I'm going to show you how to do a substitution jutsu. Watch with your sharingan. If you don't do it perfectly the first time, I'll make you run two laps around Konoha." I was about to whine when I remember his previous warning. I like my tongue. I like my tongue. So I nodded and felt my senses become more acute. This was going to be a long day.

* * *

I was right, it was a long day. But I was happy to run into Neji on my way home. "Neji!" I called. He looked over at me and smiled. "Tsukiko!" I ran up and hugged him. I winced as he put his arms around me and brushed against very tender bruises.

"How have you been?" I asked but Neji's eyes narrowed. He let go of me and studied me.

"Tsukiko," he said warningly and I took a step backward automatically. "How have you been? Why are you hurt?"

"Hurt?" I said with a laugh. "Neji, I'm not hur—" He lifted my shirt just enough to show a large bruise on the right side of my stomach. I sighed, biting my lip and letting my hands drop to my sides.

"It's nothing, Neji…just—"

"It's not nothing, Tsukiko!" He hissed. I took another step back and my shirt fell out of his hand. I had never seen him be so scary before. I'd never been scared of Neji. "You're badly bruised! How many more are you hiding?"

"Let me finish a sentence!" I yelled back, stepping closer to him. "I may be a year younger than you but you can't order me around!"

"Tsukiko!" He yelled dangerously again.

"Fight me," I said through clenched teeth. Neji's anger wavered and took a step back, his eye brows knotting in confusion. "Fight me, damn it!" I took a step back and slid into a stance. His mouth opened slightly, the sound of a quick intake of air emanating for his lips. I was so blinded by rage. I was young, I knew. But that didn't mean I was stupid. I didn't need Fugaku looking down at me. Even when I was staring into those ghostly white, pupil-less eyes, all I could see were Fugaku's dark and disapproving ones. Neji took another step back.

"No, I won't fight you." I nearly hissed like a snake and punched blindly forward. He scooted out of the way easily.

"Why?" I asked, trying to think of something that would upset him. "Too scared without mommy and daddy to protect you?" Neji's eyes narrowed and his jaw tightened. I'd hit it right on the target.

"You did not—"

"Oh yes I did." And with that a punch went flying to my chakra core. It hit dead on and I coughed, tasting blood in my mouth. Twice as painful was an understatement. I looked up into his eyes, my vision intensifying. When our eyes met, thick veins appeared at the corners of his eyes. His white eyes intensified and I could only guess it was his clan's technique. I was too angry to care. I grabbed his hand that was still on my stomach and I swept it away, sending a right snap kick to his stomach. It hit his stomach and he grunted.

I took a step back and he came sprinting at me. A punch landed on my face and then on my shoulder. I didn't even care that my face would bruise and I wouldn't be able to hide it from my guardians. Nothing was clear then except my vision.

I formed hand signs and pushed into the ground beneath me. It began to crack and fall, swooshing around like water. Neji's feet started to sink in but he bolted upward into the trees. I followed pursuit. He went to hit me but I used my newly learned substitution technique and appeared behind him, landing a hard kick to his spine. I heard a crack and he quickly spun around, pain eminent on his face, but anger much stronger.

He punched me on the color bone and I flew back into the trunk of the tree. Then his fingers poked my arm, a spot where I had a blue dot. My right arm immediately went numb at my side. My eyes narrowed. How did he? He attacked again, this time touching further up that arm. Numbness. I felt like I had slept on my side all night. I couldn't move.

All the sudden his hand came flying at me again. I noticed that if it hit its intended target—my throat—that I would die. I couldn't die. No, I couldn't die. Time seemed to slow and I grabbed his wrist. A fuzzy version of him was suddenly meshed with the solid, real him. It moved its right hand to poke my left arm numb. I pulled his left arm behind his back, twisting his wrist at an odd angle, before his solid form even moved. Then I pressed a blue spot on his arm and it went numb. He gasped. So there we were, both with numb arms. He stepped back and I advanced. A blurry kick came flying at my face, but I ducked before the solid one got there.

This all so weird, I thought. It's almost as if I know what's he's going to do before he does it. I gasped and he landed a punch to my stomach, sending me flying off the tree and to the ground. My back it hard and I hissed out in pain. Something in my back had cracked. I looked up to see Neji in the tree. _Revenge, _his eyes read. I moaned and pushed myself off of the ground. His eyes no longer said _"revenge" _but said _"you're a disgrace."_

No, I'm not! I put my left hand to my right arm and suddenly felt pricks like little tiny needles poking into my arm. I crunched my fingers into a fist and then out of a fist. I could move it! I did the hand signs for katon no jutsu and—surprisingly—more than just a whisk of fire came out. No, a fire ball bigger than my kitchen appeared and rushed toward Neji. He ducked and flipped off of the tree branch. This time he came running at me.

He did many punches and I dodged most, but another flat hand rammed into my core and I coughed out blood onto him. He didn't seem to notice, though, because he went to hit me again. It hit me in the right side of my chest. I choked out a gasp, blood clogging my throat. This…this is wrong. We shouldn't be doing this. I…I'm going to die. Another hand hit my chakra core and I flew backwards into a nearby tree.

Blood was now pouring out of my mouth like a current and pouring out of my chest like a river. Neji came sprinting closer to me but stopped just in front of me, stopping himself from doing the finishing blow. It took a moment for my brain to register that I wasn't dead yet. I could've sworn…

"Oh, Kami!" Neji said as he seemed to break out of his angry trance. I didn't bother to try to say anything as I knew it would come out as a gurgle. Neji bent down to me, pulling my shirt up to inspect my chakra core. Normally I would have blushed and pushed away at the lack of privacy. He was lifting my shirt up and I was a girl, after all. Even if only seven. I didn't have anything there but I had a right. But at that moment, well let's just say that wasn't one of my worries. "I hurt your chakra core—badly!" I groaned and felt myself teeter to the side. He grabbed me before I could fall and gently put me down.

"I-I don't know what to do!" I motioned for him to roll me over and he did. I puked up the blood in my throat. I don't know how long I puked but I was sure I had puked up all the food I had eaten that month. When I was finally done puking I could talk, but it was raspy.

"It's okay…" I said, wincing at the sound of my own voice. "I would of done the same to you if I were able."

"I-I know. I'm just so sorry. You could have died!" he ranted on to himself. "I didn't even see you…I just saw…I just saw…"

"I saw Fugaku—my legal father," I told him. His eyes met mine and I noticed that his were back to normal without the weird veins. I no longer saw his fuzzy other self, so mine had obviously deactivated too.

"I saw my uncle…my uncle that is the reason for my father's death."

"Your uncle killed your dad?" I gasped, the feeling burning my throat and making me cough. Neji was crouched over me and lifted my head as I coughed so it wouldn't be as bad on my lungs. "That's just messed up."

"He didn't kill him…but if it weren't for him my father would not be dead…" he trailed off, not wishing to tell me his story.

"Will you tell me, Neji? Just this once?" Neji looked at me.

"Someone kidnapped my uncle's daughter…my cousin…and he found him and killed the man. The other people, they were upset that he had killed the man and wanted my uncle dead instead. But my uncle and dad were twins. So because my uncle was a branch member he...he was killed in his stead." So that's what it's called. Not a tree member, a branch member, I mused. At least I was close. Tree, branch. Same thing.

"What's a branch member?"

"Someone who is not born of the main house, not a first born. A…a servant to the branch family."

"But your father was his twin! Just because he was a little older…?" Neji nodded sadly."That means that I would be a branch member even if Itachi were not here."

"What is your story, Tsukiko?" he asked. "Why did you see your father?" I looked at Neji and bit my lip. If there was one thing I learned during my training with Hebi-sensei thus far it was that I should keep my mouth shut no matter what.

_Better to keep your mouth shut and have people guess you are a fool, than to open it and remove all doubt._

"He…he doesn't like me," I said and sighed. "I dishonor him. He's always wanted me to be a boy. Girls aren't worth much in the Uchiha clan. The fact that I dislike killing also doesn't help. He hates me. I…I just want to prove to him that I'm not worthless. That I'm not just some little girl that he should hide away because he doesn't want to be embarrassed."

"You certainly proved him wrong tonight," Neji said and I laughed, causing a sharp pain to occur in my stomach.

"Yeah, if only he saw it," I said.

"Then show him."

"What?" I nearly yelled. Kami, I sounded like a dying cat.

"Spar with him, show him what you can do."

"No Neji, I would never…I mean that's crazy…it's just—"

"Why not?" I looked up to meet his eyes.

"I'm scared," I admitted. Just like how I was afraid of snakes. I was afraid of Fugaku. "I'm frightened by him. Fighting you was easy—well not easy, but you know what I mean—because I'm close to you. You're like a brother to me." Much more so than Sasuke most of the time, though I would never say that.

"Then fight your fear," he said and paused. "How about a deal? A game of sorts. You work on fighting your fear and I'll work on fighting mine, okay?"

"You have a fear?" I gasped and he laughed.

"Yeah…I'm afraid of showing my curse mark."

"Curse mark?"

"A mark that proves that I'm a branch member…and main members can hurt me with. I'm afraid of letting people see. That's why I cover it." He showed it to me, unwrapping the bandages. It glowed a dull green and my mouth opened wide.

"It…it looks beautiful," I breathed out. I reached my hand up to touch it and Neji didn't move. I brushed my hands against his forehead, then traced the curves with my finger tips. "It's like you're an angel." His face scrunched.

"I'm not sure if I like being compared to an angel," he said and I laughed.

"Probably not, though you do have the long hair!" I said and laughed again, ignoring the pain in my stomach and chest.

"Tsukiko," he groaned.

"And the big porcelain eyes!"

"Tsukiko."

"And full lips!"

"Tsu—" I had put my fingers to my lips and then pressed them to his. It was sort of a first kiss. I couldn't get up and kiss him in the lips but it was the closest thing I could do.

"There, I just had my first kiss," I said and giggled contently.

"Th-that…"

"It'll have to count because I can't move," I explained. But then he leaned down and touched his lips to mine.

"There, now you have a real first kiss." I brought my hand to my lips.

"Hmm, I suppose."

"You suppose?" he laughed.

"Do you have a change of clothes and bandages? I doubt my guardians and brother would appreciate me coming home like this."

"Sure," he said and carefully helped me up. "Sorry again, by the way."

"Nah, it's okay. Oh, and Neji," I said and we paused in our odd walk. "Would you like to be adopted into my family?"

"Your family?" I nodded.

"Itachi is the mommy and daddy, and Sasuke is the brother. You can be the other brother." Neji smiled.

"Really?"

"Of course!"

"I…I would like that, Tsukiko."

"Good, because you'll have to like it a lot to put up with Sasuke. He's a bit of a downer sometimes." We laughed and went on our way. It was mostly a good night. I had tried to kill Neji, but had gained my second stage of sharingan. I learned how to unblock a chakra point. Neji and I had our first kiss and it was together! He was now my brother, a part of my family! The next day I would find out I couldn't use any ninjutsu or genjutsu, or even my sharingan due to the injury. But at the time all that mattered was me and Neji…and my family. My _real _family.


	7. Aches

** Somehow I have managed to injure a soft spot under my chin and on my neck.**

**It's horriblly bruised and I'm sitting with an ice pack on it.**

**I don't even know how I got it. Ugh.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Romeo and Juliet**

_**Chapter 7**_

It wasn't until I got home that reality set in. Neji and I had snuck into his house and I cleaned up as best I could. I took a shower and scrubbed off all of the blood I could. Then I put on a bunch of bandages and gauze and honestly, it was horribly done but you couldn't see the blood. Neji lent me a dark green robe-like shirt and a pair of dark green pants. My parents might notice I don't own clothes like these but they won't know I didn't leave the house with these on…I left before they were awake.

My only problem was the swelling on my face. It's not like either Neji or I knew any healing techniques. I didn't even know they existed at that point. So I pulled my hair out of its normal ponytail and let it cascade down and over my swollen left eye. It was the same black hair color of any Uchiha. We all looked so similar. Black hair, dark grey eyes. At least the Hyuuga clan had a variation of either brown hair or black hair.

I waved Neji off a little while before the compound. Kami only knows what would have happened to him if someone saw him there. Then I turned around to see those tall and haunting doors. I sighed. It's just like snakes.

_You must face your fear or it will control you. Face it, hold it in your hand, and crush it. Only then will you be rid of it._

Hebi-sensei, I don't think this is that kind of situation. I pushed forward nonetheless, putting one foot in front of the other. My whole body ached and although I acted bubbly and fine in front of Neji, I was depressed and tired inside. When I got to the door and was about to pull on the handle, it suddenly burst open. I staggered forward and caught myself last minute. I took a step back and looked up to the eyes of my father.

_You're a disgrace._ My lip quivered and I took another step back. "You're late—again."

"Hai. I apologize. I was out and—"

"I don't want excuses. Go to your room." I nodded and rushed passed him, happy that he did not notice the bruise. If he did, well I don't even know what he'd say. What would I say? I guess I don't have to worry about it because he didn't notice it. For once, fate seemed to be on my side. Not that I believed in fate, but…oh never mind. I just didn't have to worry about—

"Tsukiko." I stopped mid-stride, not turning to Fugaku. My…my _father._ "Turn around," he said and noticing that I wasn't going to move, barked out, "NOW!" I pivoted and looked at him. He walked up to me and pushed my hair from its spot on my left side. "What. Is. This?"

"Well, I was walking down the street and I—" I stopped the long story and looked down at my feet. My father had given me the _you're not my child_ look. "I-I got into a fight." My father was caught off guard, perhaps, but he didn't show it.

"With whom?" he asked and I shrugged.

"I don't know. I got really angry and I upset him and—"

"Who won?" I wanted to scream! Let me finish my sentence! I went to bite my lip and it quivered. It was then that I noticed I really was sad for having lost. He could have killed me. I was just as weak as I started, just as bad. Tomorrow—oh Kami, tomorrow! I'm going to do terrible! They might as well fail me now. Fugaku cleared his throat and brought my out of my thoughts.

"He did," I said and Fugaku turned on his foot and left without another word. I think I miss his harsh words, I thought as I put a hand to my chest. It's aching even worse than before…and I know it's not a bruise.

I went to Itachi's room and curled up under his bed. I cried for a while and sobbed into my pillow. I was seven years old. I was heartbroken. My daddy didn't love me—my actual daddy didn't love me. As much as I loved Itachi I knew there was more than what he wasn't telling me. I loved Neji, him, sasuke, and Akako but I wasn't their mommy and daddy. No, I was their friend or sister. Real parents were made.

And that was the first time I doubted Itachi.

I woke up even earlier than usual and showered. I changed into new bandages and hissed at the pain it caused. The old bandages were colored red and I wrapped them up in a shirt and put it into my backpack. I couldn't let anyone in the house know. I paused for a moment and wondered what Itachi did with his used bandages. _He doesn't get hurt._ With that I sprinted out of the house without breakfast. No, I wouldn't be able to do this with something in my gut. It wasn't nearly ten o'clock, obviously. But I wanted to scout out the training ground we would be using.

When I arrived, Hebi-sensei was waiting up against a tree. "Hebi-sensei," I breathed out and he turned to me. I let go of my grip on the skin on top of my chakra core. I couldn't let him know about it. No, I might be different than most Uchihas—but I still had the pride. The stubborn pride that would not admit defeat in any circumstance. "Is this where we will spar?"

"Tsukiko," he greeted but didn't look at me. "Yes, this where you will spar. Are you ready?"

"Hai," I said, already feeling my muscles ache. What I did last night was completely stupid. All because of what? Why was I so upset? Because he was babying me? So? I'm only seven! I guess he had the right.

"Good, because if you lose this…oh if you lose this battle I'm going to drop you as my student." My head shot up and became very stiff.

"You wouldn't teach me anymore?" I gasped out.

"You can easily beat him and if you don't, then you're not worth my time." Not worth your time? My father's face came into my mind. _Not worth my time. A disgrace. Certainly not a daughter of mine. _

"But—"

"Ah, they're here. Early as usual." I turned around and looked at the two approaching figures. One was much taller than the other. I guess it was Sarutobi and I was right.

"Ah, Tsukiko. Good morning," he greeted.

"Good morning, Sarutobi," I said and the boy beside him gasped in shock. What was so weird? I raised an eye brow at it him but he did nothing to respond.

"This is Ryuu. He is who you must beat today if you wish to become a genin. He is a genin himself." That is hardly fair, I thought sourly. Just because someone is a genin, doesn't mean they can beat up other genin. "To win you must render the opponent unmovable or they must give up." I looked at the boy and our eyes locked in a glare. I was not going to let myself lose…and by the looks of it, he wasn't either. We both walked to the circle and bowed.

"Begin!" Sarutobi called and we both stood still for a moment. I then fell into my stance. He was taller than me. At least a couple years older than me. He had blond hair and bright green eyes. He didn't bother getting into a stance and ran to attack me. I ducked out of his punch and slid to the side, kicking his left ribs. I was rewarded with a quiet crack. I could crack all of his ribs. Do you think he would be able to win then?

He fell backwards but pushed himself back up with his hands and was attacking me again. _Don't be there! _I ducked, weaved, and dodged from his onslaught of punches and kicks. _Use his own body against him! _When he aimed a punch at my chakra core I nearly fainted but mentally kicked myself in the head. _Face your fear! Only then will you be rid of it! _I grabbed his wrist and pushed it downward. Then with my right hand, I hooked around and punched his face as hard as I could. I put all my might and strength into the punch and blood splattered onto me.

I ignored it and let go of his wrist, landing a kick at his chakra core and sending him flying backwards. He lay still for a moment and I almost thought I won. I should have known it wouldn't be that easy. He sprang up again, this time there were three of him. I ached to turn on my sharingan. You don't have enough chakra, Tsuk. You'll end up fainting.

_With sharingan you will be able to detect which of a group of clones is the real one. _

I would have to injure them all to find the real one. The three of him pulled out kunai and chucked them at me. I dodged by twirling off to the side. One of the kunai embedded itself into my arm but it was hardly anything to worry about at the moment. I was high off of adrenaline.

_I am going to win. No matter what._

This time I ran toward him and dropped down, sweeping his feet out from underneath him. He landed on his back and I pulled the kunai from my arm and lunged it at him. He knocked it away with a kick and pushed himself back up. He then landed a kick on my side. I took a sharp intake of breath. Breathe. Blood pooled into my throat and I swallowed to keep it down. I could only imagine how that would come out. Ugh.

When I steadied myself I could hear Orochimaru and Sarutobi's voices. "Why hasn't she activated it?" the former asked. "I don't know. I expected her to start out with it activated." A punch landed on my face. I leaned back and shot back up, pushing him away from me. Very not ninja-like, but I was desperate. What could one do without using chakra?

Blood poured from my nose and I whipped it, turning back to my opponent. He huffed and did handsigns. A ball of fire came flying my way and I ducked down to dodge it. The back of my shirt set on fire and I rolled on the ground to put it out. I jumped back up and barely dodged his roundhouse kick. Wait! I frantically thought. What happened to the other two of him? I thought too late and a crack emanated from my back.

I screamed out in pain and huddled over myself. This is bad. This is really bad. Give up, Tsuk. Or you won't make it out alive. I panted and my eyes narrowed. I will _not _give up. I stood up straight. A rush of water came well, rushing at me. I jumped up to dodge it and landed back down on top of him. I pinned him with my body and began punching him repeatedly. Blood poured out of his face but I ignored it. I just kept hitting. Hitting and hitting. Blood pouring and pouring. A nondescript but very dead Uchiha's face poured into my mind. _Some are able to torture their opponent for 72 hours, like your brother. _

I let go, screamed, and stumbled back away from him. The Uchiha's face dug into my mind and my senses suddenly became clearer. I was no longer seeing through a fog. The nondescript face suddenly was a person. He had high cheek bones with short black hair and blaring red sharingan eyes. Three tomoe spinning in a circle. His face was mature but not quite completely mature yet. He looked to be Itachi's age. I gasped. No.

And then the world became fuzzy again—when a kick plunged deep into my skin, right above my chakra core. I gasped and fell backward, unable to stop myself from hitting the ground. I coughed as I hit and even after I hit. I couldn't stop coughing. When I finally did stop, my vision had spots in it and I couldn't move.

"She's immobile," the blond haired guy said. Orochimaru and Sarutobi made their way over to me. I closed my eyes, unwilling to look at them. It's too embarrassing. Don't. Don't look at me. Just leave me here. _You certainly aren't a daughter of mine._

"Is she out?" Sarutobi asked and leaned down to inspect me. I couldn't speak because of the blood filling into my throat. I had never thought of death. I had only been alive seven years! I thought that it was real and would happen someday, but that it was so far in the future that it didn't matter.

"She lost," Hebi-sensei nearly hissed out. "My student—no, not anymore. Sarutobi-sensei, I refuse the responsibility of being her sensei."

"Orochimaru—"

"I picked her because I thought she had potential. I was wrong."

"I know how much it hurts to say you're wrong, Orochimaru. Are you sure?"

"Yes." I felt my eyes sting and tears swell up in my closed eyes. _Hebi-sensei! _I wanted to scream out, but all that came out was a deranged sounding gurgle. More tears leaked out and I didn't have the strength to hold back my sob.

"You may leave, Ryuu."

"Hai." Footsteps told me that he had left. Hebi-sensei left behind him, leaving Sarutobi and me alone.

"Child, how can I help you?" I motioned for him to roll me onto my stomach and he did so. I then proceeded to hack up blood, no food mixed in because I hadn't eaten. When I had finally gotten it all out I could breathe clearly. "I will take you to the hospital."

"No!" My voice screeched. "Don't take me there!"

"Home then."

"No, not there!"

"Then where?" I bit my lip and looked up into his warm and caring eyes.

"Leave me here."

"What? You can't possibly—"

"Leave me here. I lost. Just go. You have better stuff to do."

"Little one, I will not—"

"Leave me alone! I just want to be alone!" And with one last glance in my direction, he disappeared into thin air. I cried on the ground and pulled myself into a ball, my legs against my chest and my hands hugging my legs.

_Disgrace…disgrace…disgrace…disgrace…disgrace…_

Hours later I pulled myself up and made my way home. It took me twice as long as usual, but I made it all the way there. The academy was still in session, so hardly anyone was out and about. I made it to the house undetected and pushed the door open. I walked further in, past the kitchen, and was stopped as I passed the dining room. My father was sitting at the table, scrolls scattered around him.

"Tsukiko!" He yelled and my heart fluttered. Was that…was that concern in his voice? I turned to him, a smile on my face even as blood poured from me. I probably looked incredibly creepy. But it didn't matter because for that one moment, my father cared about me. He _cared._

_

* * *

_**A/N: Feel free to review! I love opinions, even complaints.**


	8. Deaths

**This chapter is long over due. I apologize. **

* * *

**Romeo and Juliet**

_**Chapter 8**_

"What happened?" he asked me. I looked up into his dark eyes, searching. My heart felt swollen in my chest. _This_, I realized, _is what it feels like to be happy. _He took a step closer to me and inspected my bloodied face.

"I…I got into another fight." He pushed the hair out of my eyes and looked at my bruised eye. Is this what it felt like for Sasuke—this incredibly whole feeling in my gut? I stared at his eyes, my reflection staring back at me. The girl that stood there looked like everything around her was falling apart. She looked like she had just walked through a mine field and barely lived to tell about it. But something about the look on her face left her looking content. For the first time in a long time, that girl that stared back at me in the mirror looked alive.

"Let's get some salve on those cuts." I followed him numbly into the kitchen, surprised at his actions. Why was he being so nice to me? But I was numb with happiness, and could not think straight. He gently cleansed my wounds, dabbing them lightly with an antiseptic. He applied the salve over them, sending a cold numbness into my limbs. Then he covered them with bandages.

His motions were too graceful, too perfect. I found myself fixated on every move he made. We sat outside on the porch leading to the gardens. Neither of us spoke. The sky changed from blue, to pink, and to finally a dark navy. I felt like there was some unspoken understanding between us. Something I would have never thought possible.

"Tsukiko, it is time for you to go to bed." I looked up at the stars and nodded.

"Hai. Good night, father." I pulled myself up and walked with a new bounce in my step. I walked to the door and looked back. Father looked so calm and serene. I liked how we didn't need to speak to each other. It felt so utterly familiar. I liked how he seemed to completely understand me. I smiled at the back of his head before going inside, the door shut behind me.

I was skipping to my room, humming a nursery rhyme to myself. That's why I didn't hear my father's reply. "Goodnight, Tsuki. Sleep tight…and don't let the bitter remarks of our father bite."

* * *

Breakfast was different than any other that morning. To my dismay, father had left before the sun had risen for some important issue at the police base. My mother, for the first time in my lifetime, had slept in. Sasuke had already left for the academy. At breakfast, it was just me and my favorite person in the entire world.

Itachi sat across from me, having magically come home during the night. I was embarrassed to get up that morning, sporting my cuts and bruises. None of the signs of my bitter loss mattered as I sat at the table with Itachi. I couldn't help myself from smiling at him with what was probably the biggest grin in Konoha.

"I have so much to tell you! The other day—"

"Tsukiko." The sound of my full name coming out of Itachi's mouth stopped me in my tracks. He had always referred to me as 'Tsuki.'

"Hai?"

"The shinobi world is a dangerous place," I rested my chin on my hands that were clasped in front of me. He talked so rarely about being a ninja and he was the smartest, most clever person I knew. "A place that relies completely on balance. The balance of good and bad, shinobi and civilian, and choices made everyday. Every decision has motive just as every question has an answer. Every choice has a reason, even if that reason is so confusing and complicated that no one can see it." He became quiet and I stared at him with big eyes, waiting for him to continue.

"The choices we make define us as a person. Whether it is as trivial as what clothes to wear, or as important as the future of our village, our choices are significant."

"Brother," I said, completely and utterly confused. I knew deciding to go to a school far away or staying here and becoming a ninja was a big decision, but I did not see how it could affect the entire village. "How could a yes or no question be so important?"

"It's all about balance and maintaining that balance to create peace."

At the time, I thought Itachi was talking about my decision to study far away.

In time, I would realize that he was talking about his decision to slaughter our clan.

* * *

I left the house after breakfast, feeling lost and confused. Itachi had been talking in riddles lately. He was the smartest person I knew, but sometimes I wished he were smart enough to dumb it down for those less intelligent, like myself. My thoughts were forced to the back of my mind when I sensed a familiar feel to the air.

"Ryuu!" I turned around and was met with the familiar eyes of my close friend. Over the past months, the two of us had drifted due to his going to the academy and my training with Orochimaru-sens—Orochimaru. I wrapped my arms tightly around him but he did not hug me back. I pulled away, confused and hurt. "Ryuu?"

He took a step back, putting distance between us. His eyes were less lively than they had always been before. There was emptiness about them now that brought sadness to my chest. He lowered his eyes to the ground. "You'll hate me when I tell you."

"I could never hate-!"

"I killed someone."

I felt a kick to my gut, the wind rushing out of my lungs.

"B-but Ryuu, you…you promised…"

"I saw his body stop moving in front of my very eyes and I wondered: why did I do it? How could I do it?"

"If you were doing it to protect someone—"

"I wasn't." His eyes rose to meet mine. There was a new intensity in them that I had never seen before. "I was protecting myself in the long run. I killed my best friend at the academy."

I couldn't even find it in me to speak.

"See, I heard rumors about there being a secret meeting place that told of a whole new stage of sharingan, a stage of sharingan that would make you more powerful than even the adult shinobi. To acquire it, you had to kill the one you called your closest friend."

I felt both terrified that Ryuu was capable of killing another human being and sad that he did not see me as his closest friend.

"I killed him and now I realize that these rumors aren't spread by my peers, they're spread by the adults. The killing of fellow Uchiha has been happening since the beginning of our clan. It's in our blood," he scratched at his skin for emphasis, dark marks lying in his nails' wake. "I'm more powerful than anyone in my class and yet I feel so hollow inside."

This person in front of me…how could he be my childhood friend? How could he be the very friend that had agreed with me in not ever wanting to harm people?

"Show me," I grit out, meeting his eyes once again. "Show me what the eyes of a killer look like."

And he did—he activated his newly developed mangeku sharingan.

I stared into the eyes he had acquired by killing someone.

And I realized…his eyes looked just like Itachi's.

* * *

I was fuming when a hand grabbed my sleeve later that day. I looked to my side to see the beautiful Akako that I had become instant friends with. "What's wrong?" She asked me, her dark eyes full of compassion.

_What's wrong? My best friend is a killer! My brother is a killer! _

"Don't touch me," I pulled away, trying to hide the tears in my eyes with the bitterness in my voice. The Uchiha pride that flowed through me was as strong as in any other member of my clan.

"Tsuki—" She looked scared, her lower lip quivering, her eyes tearing up. She looked so weak and vulnerable, so innocent, so un-Uchiha.

"Don't call me that!" I yelled, hating the sound of Itachi's nickname rolling off of her tongue. I was weak for a Uchiha, I knew that and I accepted that. I couldn't even defeat a genin. Orochimaru had dropped me as his student. But this quivering girl in front of me? She had no right to wear the symbol of pride on her back.

I pushed her—_hard—_and she just barely managed to stop herself from falling onto the ground. How could someone who went to the academy be so weak? "Tsukiko, what happened to you?"

"_What happened to me_?" I yelled. "My father and mother hate me! My sensei shoves me away! My brother wishes to always be better than me! And my other brother—I don't even know about him anymore!"

"Tsuk—"

**I could suddenly see clearly, like a legally blind person that had put on glasses for the first time, like a blanket had lifted from my eyes. I could see myself hurting Akako, ending her life. It would be simple, she wasn't an accomplished fighter and she was of low status, few would miss her. I would gain a pair of the most powerful eyes in the world. I would beat Sasuke. I would make my father proud. **

_"Does this mean I will become a murderer?" _

_"No, Kiko. What you do with your powers is up to you. You can choose to be good or evil, to save or kill…to seek power or reject it. It is your battle and no one else's."_

**With the memory fresh on my mind, my vision changed to me slumping over a bloody form, a form that I could hardly recognize as the exotic Uchiha I considered my closest friend. I clung to her, sobbing, unabashed by my demeaning behavior. My form was stained with her crimson blood, it flowing in streams around me. My kunai still sat proudly in her chest. **

I blinked several times, forcing myself out of my daze. The two visions were fresh on my mind when I noticed that her mouth was still moving, forming words and sounds that refused to reach my ears. They came to me in a sudden rush.

"—that's why I think that fighting isn't the answer! You're better than that, Tsukiko. Where's the girl that is my best friend? Is she still in there?" My vision, dulled to normal, landed on her.

Decisions, whether seemingly big or small, are all important. I looked down at my balled fists, watching as they opened to show my callused palms. If I had killed her for power, I would have become a murderer. I would kill to be able to save…how did that make any sense?

When I wrapped my arms around my sobbing friend, when I cried with her, I threw my Uchiha pride aside and opened a world of completely new possibilities. I had decided to reject power. I had saved instead of killed. I had chosen good over evil.

* * *

I was leisurely reading a book when it happened. A terrible, twisting feeling knotted in my stomach. I dropped the book from where I lay on the bed and lifted myself up, looking outside the window. I had just realized how still and eerily calm it was outside. The sun was just beginning to set over the horizon, the sky tinted a bright orange, but I didn't have that happy feeling that it usually brought me. Instead I had a feeling of dread and apprehension of what was to come.

"Mother? Father?" I called as I sprinted from my room, the book long forgotten. I raced into the hallway, running into my mother's side. She put her arms on my shoulders, bending down to my height. The first thing I noticed was the tears in her eyes. The second was that I had missed my mother's touch.

"Tsukiko, all those times you disappeared, when you would come back and say you had been out in the garden—" I had gone to tell her right away that it was under Itachi's bed when she brought a finger to my lips to silence me. "Don't say it aloud. Go there now and don't get out of hiding until the sun rises. No matter who calls for you, no matter what you hear, you stay there…okay?"

"Yes, mother," I said as tears mirroring my mother's found there way to the corner of my eyes. She pulled my close her, pulling my hand into her warm shoulder.

"Forgive me for everything I have done, Tsukiko. Your father and I truly love you and we will never cease in doing so." My father's figure appeared above my mother, an expression on his face that I had never seen before. He was a man of few words, but from the emotion he let show on his face, I could tell that he felt as my mother said.

There was a crash from somewhere outside and my mother pulled away. "Go!" she mouthed as she gave me a push in the other direction. I glanced behind me only once to see my mother sitting beside my father as he pulled a sword from its sheath. I ran down the hall as quietly as I could, ripping open Itachi's door and closing it loudly behind me, childishly turning the lock. I pulled myself under his bed, my most prized possessions still where I had left them. I pulled my teddy bear into my arms, positioning myself in the fetal position.

I cried silent tears into Mr. Fluff 'n' Stuff as I heard screams from all directions.

"_You can go into my room anytime you want. When you feel lonely or afraid. Just remember I'll always be in there with you."_

Itachi—where was he now, when I needed him most? Where was my comforter? My safety? The room didn't feel nearly as safe as it did when he was in it with me. He was so intelligent, a genius, a prodigy…shouldn't he know that we needed him? Shouldn't he be able to sense it?

That was the second time I doubted Itachi and with good reason, because seconds after I heard my parents' screams, the door creaked open to reveal sandal clad feet. They walked further into the room, stopping only when they were centimeters from the bed.

"Tsuki?"

"_Go there now and don't get out of hiding until the sun rises. No matter who calls for you, no matter what you hear, you stay there…okay?"_

I didn't respond.

Itachi didn't care.

"I killed them all. Father, Mother, Ryuu, Akako…the entire clan."

I pulled my favorite bear closer to me as a sob threatened to tear through my throat.

"But I have left both you and Sasuke because you could prove valuable to me in the future."

_Why, Itachi? Why are you doing this?_

"To Sasuke, I will leave my power—my drive to being the best, my skill, and my techniques. To you, Tsuki, I will leave my knowledge. That book you read that was labeled 'Jutsu,' it was an experiment I had been working on for some time. In it was a seal that held everything—my memories, my intelligence, and my genius knowledge. Granted, it was not quite finished when you read it. Pity, that I didn't factor in the possibility of you reading it in sheer anger and negligence."

"Why?" I spoke before I could stop myself, promptly clamping my hands over my mouth.

"Killing the clan was but a stepping stone for me in my quest for power. Just as manipulating you and Sasuke was, only this will be far more rewarding."

I didn't hold back my tears and whimpers this time.

"Tsukiko," Itachi spoke as he turned on his heel to leave. "Don't get in Sasuke's way."

And like that, his dark and sinister presence left the compound. I didn't know how I knew, but I knew. I felt it like a pricks of a needle.

Like that, I knew that when I got up my family would be dead.

I knew I could never compete with Sasuke.

I knew my father would never be proud of me.

I knew that it didn't matter that I had chosen good over evil.

All that mattered was that everything I had ever held dear was gone, and the one person I had loved the most had caused it.

* * *

**I wonder how many people thought that Tsukiko would kill Akako or Ryuu and get the mangeku sharingan? **

**This chapter is dedicated solely to xYuzuruRengex who reviewed and changed my whole perspective of this story. I _was _going to have her go just before the massacre, simply because it was easier. After reading your review, I realized that-to the best of my abilities-I want to keep a nice thick line between my story and other stories. Tsukiko was there for the massacre, she provides a side of it that Sasuke does not. She will never get the mangeku. She will not be Mary Sue. To me, she serves as showing how harsh the ninja world truly is. She shows that no seven year old should witness the death of his/her family. She shows that ninja mature much too fast and that it isn't a walk in the park. Feel free to message me with any questions!**

**Reviews help authors enhance their writing-! **


	9. Books

**Romeo and Juliet**

_**Chapter 9**_

Standing tall during the conjoined Uchiha-clan funeral ceremony was harder than it sounds. So many people shot Sasuke and me pitiful looks. I didn't want their pity. It wasn't raining; there wasn't a rain cloud in sight. I clenched my hands so tightly that little half moons appeared on my palms. Instead, I grabbed the fabric of my pants in my hands.

I looked to my brother beside me. Power and knowledge—we were opposites and yet so alike. Dark hair and eyes, sharingan, full of pride…we were the epitome of the Uchiha clan. Did I want to represent my clan? The very clan that I disagreed with? The best friend who went against his beliefs, the father who was never proud of me, the mother who was never compassionate, the brother whose love was a lie?

The whole clan wasn't bad, I realized. Akako was the most loving, gentle person I had ever had the privilege of meeting. How could Itachi have killed someone so pure and kind? How did it not tear at his very heart and soul?

Many villagers shook Sasuke's and my hands as they passed. They gave their condolences, patting our heads or putting a hand on our shoulders. They are so young and will be troubled with this horrific event for the rest of their lives, I managed to hear one woman whisper. It was true. I don't think I will ever forget the sound of my parent's screams, or my brother's harsh words.

I looked over at Sasuke again. He must have been coping worse than I. He had actually seen them slaughtered, joining the screams of my parents. I had hid under the bed like a coward. Was I—a member of the once prestigious Uchiha clan—nothing more than a sniveling idiot?

"He will pay for what he has done—I swear it," Sasuke said when it was just the two of us left. I looked at him with sad eyes.

"Oh, Sasuke," I spoke, putting my arms around his shaking form.

"A life for a life. I will make him feel the same pain they felt as they took their final breaths, killed by their own kin." Screw my pride, I thought. I cried into his shirt, shedding the tears for both of us. Seven years was far too young to be so locked away inside.

"He'll suffer, I promise it. But killing him is not the answer. By killing him you'll do exactly what he wants… you'll become just like him." He pushed me away, taking a step back from me for good measure.

"We will never be alike!" Even though my vision was blurry, I could see the anger on his face. He was pushing me away, physically and emotionally.

"Don't do it, Sasuke…I can't bear to lose you too." He was all I had left. The only things I ever had were inside the compound. He was the last of my family and I wanted to hold him as close as I possibly could.

"The old Sasuke you knew is gone," he told me with one last look before turning away and leaving me there. I wanted to hold him close, but I couldn't. I couldn't force him to do anything against his wishes, so I watched his form as it slowly disappeared from my vision. I had lost so much in only twenty-four hours. I had lost my family, my home, and now my brother. I lost my will to live, _really _live. I lost my hope. I lost myself.

* * *

Because Sasuke and I were all that was left, we gained the entire Uchiha inheritance. Sarutobi—I mean, the Hokage—met with us and discussed our living conditions. Though Konoha did have an ample orphanage with plenty of room for two homeless kids, he warned us that the likelihood of us getting adopted was one in a thousand. Who wanted kids that were cursed with such an unbearable burden? Who wanted kids that were easily identified each time they ventured out in public?

He talked about us getting our own place to live, having plenty of money to sustain us. He told me the address of the apartment he had set up for me. He gave me the keys. I left the Hokage's office and hadn't seen Sasuke since. I was sure he was living in a similar apartment somewhere in Konoha but I did not know, or care to know, the location of it.

My apartment was many floors up and was small, but adequate. I had learned the basics of cooking and cleaning from my mother. I blew on the soup before taking a mouthful. It made me wonder how Sasuke was doing on his own. He had spent all of his time on training, rather than becoming acquainted with housekeeping and maintenance. Did he have someone to help him with that?

I stirred the soup in front of me aimlessly, and realized that I was no longer hungry. Going to the sink, I watched as it poured down the drain. Small bits of noodle got stuck in the strainer and I lifted it out to clean it. Where was I? What was I to do? I threw the noodles into the trash and replaced the strainer where it belonged. Was I nothing more than the rice noodles, stuck and waiting for someone to get rid of me?

* * *

I woke up many times during the night. So many times did I wake up, that I didn't even bother to try to sleep anymore. Instead, I would pour my time into reading. The books helped me lose myself, they helped fight off the memories. They only worked for so long, though. Eventually, my eyes would start to droop. Eventually, I would start to nod off. Eventually, I would fall into slumber.

I then turned from reading for pleasure, to reading to learn. I would spend much of my time at the library or in my room. While at the library, I would make sure to sit in the back, with my back to the wall so I could watch everything around me. I would find little nooks and corners to get comfortable in and read until a librarian would ask me to leave.

I read all sorts of books about anything and everything. I read about medical jutsu, arithmetic, physics…anything I could get my hands on. A few months later, I found a nice little bookstore along the busy streets of the village. It was pure chance that I found it. I didn't get out much because I didn't like being around people.

The store was perfect for me because it was big enough to suit my means, yet small enough not to attract attention. I spent half a fortune on books, happy to finally be able to read in the confines of my own home. I would return with handfuls of books and stash them away in my room.

The only downside to books is that they reminded me about what Itachi had said about his book that I had read. He had said that I would have all of his knowledge and memories, but that it was only a prototype. What did that mean for me? I certainly didn't have Itachi's memories or knowledge inside me. If I did, I would surely know why he did what he did. Why kill an entire clan?

* * *

Bookstores only sell so many books and libraries only have so many books available to the public. As many of books about things like plumbing and water maintenance as there were, I was interested in books with a little more substance to them. That is why I found myself sneaking into the restricted section of the Konoha Library on one of the colder summer nights.

Sneaking in without a key was easy. I scaled one of the less visible library walls and lock-picked the window. I dropped the seemingly innocent hair pin as soon as I heard the click. The window slowly creaked open. I was inside with the window shut seconds later. I dropped down onto the table beneath me, glad that I had scoped out the place before trying to pull this off.

The keys were under the register by the head librarian's computer. I pulled another hair pin from my hair and lock-picked the till drawer. It popped open, making a crashing sound as it reached the end of its tracks. The inside was empty—they didn't keep the money there overnight. Smart—but I wasn't after the money. Especially not the meager money that a library could get me.

I pulled the till out and set it on the desk, examining the drawer for its hidden compartment. I grazed my fingers across the contents of the drawer and the top of the compartment sprung up. I lifted it carefully, balancing the weight from each side on my index and middle fingers. That went on top of the till. The key sat there innocently, like it wasn't the thing holding me back from the knowledge that I longed for so.

I left the till and compartment the way it was—I was planning on coming back anyways. I pushed it through the lock and the door opened, creaking on its old hinges. I should have known it couldn't be that easy. As soon as the door opened all of the way, I felt a breeze rush past me.

I was caught.

It had to do something with embedding chakra in the door handle, or maybe the entire door. Maybe I had set it off by stepping inside the room. It was too late to really matter anyways. I grabbed the first books I could find and thrust them in my bag. By then I could _feel _someone was coming. No, not just one—several. I searched across the room, finding it full to the brim with books that I would die to read. I finally saw what I was looking for: a corner of the room that held a couple of chairs and a desk to set them on.

"What was that thing that Hebi-sensei taught me?" I sense someone entering the library before I hear it. Pairs of footsteps are closing in on me. What is the penalty for breaking into a library? For breaking into the clearly-state restricted section? For stealing scrolls and books hiding valuable information that could put my country at risk?

My pulse began to race.

I began to see clearly.

**In just seconds the three ninja would be in the room. They would check for a criminal. I zone in on the corner with the chairs. They won't be looking for a comfy little chair to sit on. I race over and sit in position, casting what I now knew was called a genjutsu over me. **

**They enter the room, ANBU masks covering their faces—a cat, a bird, and a fox. **How do I know what they are called?** They disperse in the room, following regular protocol. One goes to the right, one to the left, and the third disappears—but not really. He transported himself in to the deepest part of the room. It is dark and he thinks he is invisible. He thinks he cannot be hurt. But I can. Because I can see him.**

**When he is inches away from my hiding place is when I strike. I reach out with chakra-fused hands, pulling him down to the ground. I spring up and push my index finger behind the earlobe, effectively hitting a pressure point. He faints. I catch him before he can fall and make the others aware of my presence. **How can they not sense me? **That's when I realize it. My chakra is locked deep inside of me. Sometime within the last few minutes I had sucked my chakra inside of me like a vacuum. They couldn't sense it when I hid it like that. **

**I push the man to where I just was and put a genjutsu over him, making him appear as nothing more than a chair. I push off of the ground fast—faster than what feels normal or even possible. This rush of power in me feels foreign, like it's not mine. Like it shouldn't be inside of me. My vision begins to have black splotches across it. My senses dull. I feel all of my power slowly leave me.**

What is left is a confused girl with her chakra spewing out for anyone to detect—and detect they do. A hand grasps me around the neck and I am lifted off of my feet. It's the fox masked one. He pushes me against the wall behind me and I have to squint my eyes to see straight.

"State your purpose." It's said as a command, but it is also a question. I am here to steal books full of valuable information for my own personal gain. Really, when said like that I sound like Sasuke. I'm not too naive that I would not lie.

"Heard. Noise. Came. Quick." The man's hold lessens only so that I can breathe, only so that he can extract his information. "I wanted to help." The man's eyes are sharp, they will know that I am lying. The cat-masked one appears beside him, sizing me up. His eyes are blank, unreadable. Something brims at the surface but I cannot detect what it is. Cat-san looks over at Fox-san and Fox-san nods his head. I'm released. I drop to the ground. When I look up again, I see that Cat-san has removed his mask.

"What's your name, kid?"

Something common. I open my mouth to speak.

"I can tell when you're lying," Fox-san grits out.

It pointedly closes. What more harm could it do, really?

"Uchiha, Tsukiko. Third in line for heir of the Uchiha clan." That's what I had been before the massacre. That's what I still am now, I realize.

Neither man shows his surprise, thought I assume they feel it.

"What are you doing here, Tsukiko? Awfully far from home, isn't it?" Cat-san.

"What home?" It comes out more bitter than I intended. Cat-san and Fox-san look at each other again. Both nod, but I can't tell who nodded first.

"You broke into here for nothing but the two books in your bag?" Cat-san. Fox-san isn't that talkative.

"Knowledge," I tell them, pulling myself off of the floor. "I came here pursuing knowledge."

Cat-san grins. His grin is so feral it is hard to believe that he is truly not some cat in disguise. "I have an opportunity for you. A once in a lifetime opportunity."

"Will it get me out of trouble?"

"You don't even want to hear the terms of agreement?"

"Stealing from the restricted section is against the law. High treason. Can't get much worse than that, right?"

Neither masked man speaks.

"Either way, I'm only eight. You can't really try me anyways." The cat-man blinks. Fox-san is still staring intently at me.

"I am not really ANBU. On the side, yes. But my real job is as a foreign peace ambassador. I will train you as my apprentice."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that."

"Why?" I was smart enough to know that this wasn't offered to just anyone. Most shinobi only pick one apprentice…ever.

"Attitude," Fox-san states. Cat-san grins.

"I like your attitude and you seem smart. Also, who doesn't want to train one of the last survivors of the Uchiha clan?" The last remark gets him a glare from Fox-san.

"Will I get to keep the books I borrowed?"—stole.

"They will be your first task as my student." Cat-san keeps stealing looks at Fox-san. Weird. They are very weird. "You will read and memorize the information in them. When you think you have completed this task, you will report back to me at the third training ground. Let's say, a week?"

"Two." It comes out of my mouth before I can stop it.

"Two weeks then."

"No, I mean two days." Fox-san's eyes dart to mine and I feel an intensity in them that I do not feel in Cat-san's. It is a sort of deep understanding or knowledge that is hidden there.

I blink back to Cat-san at the sound of his voice. A large grin was spread across his face. "I knew there was a reason I liked you."

Two days.

I had two days to memorize two books.

My damn Uchiha pride had gotten in my way.

I was too afraid to open my bag and see what they were on.

What if they were on plumbing?

Two days to do the impossible.

But I had Itachi's gift.

Itachi's genius.

Nothing was impossible.


End file.
